TbOEOhTOODO 




SSM9N03 JO AHVMail 




Class JlJlS.}_ 
Book H f /?■ 
CopightW 

C0£^RIGHT DEPOSIT. 



M 



Camp George Washington. 

3M:03^TTa^EI^Ta , OEOTT1TDS, 
MAY 23d to 30th, INCLUSIVE. 



A i urn's Hkadoc -.r.TF.ns. 



Drum C6rps. 
(3) Cadet Band. 

D. — (1) Lomax Rifles. 

(2) Belknap Rifles. 

(3) Vicksburg Southrons. 
4 LruisUm. Rifles 

(5) Lee Light Guards. 
Shu Antonio Rifles. 



(6. 
E.— No 

F— (1) 



tu Carolina Troops — Eigbt Companies. 
Second Ohio Regiment — Eight companies 



6.— (1) Washington Light Infantry. 
(2) National Rifles. 
I'M Washington Cadets. 



I=Ij-A.3>T OP C^.MP. 

H.— (1) Bullene Guards, Kansas City, Missouri. 

(2) Tacoma Guards. 

I. — fH Peekskill Academy Cadets. 
<2) Maryland College Cadets. 

(3) Michigan Academy Cadets. 

J.— (1) Molineaux Rifles, Brooklyn, New York. 

(2) Selye Citizens' Corps, Rochester, New York. 

(3) Co. C, First Battalion, New Jersey. 

K. — (1) Monmouth Guards, Monmouth, Illinois. 
Wayne Hi. 
(31 Indianapolis Li^ t Infantry. 

(4) Muscatine Rifles. 
L. — Virginia State Troops. 

Richmond Greys. 

Walker Light Guard of Richmond. 
St. John's Academy Cadets. 
Bethel Academy Cadets. 
M. — (1) Sherman Guards, Mu..cliest<-r, »»w Hamnsh'e 
Rhode Island Battalion. 
(2) Sarstield Guards. 



m) Shields' Guards. 

(4) Emerald Guards. 

(5) Emmett Guards. 

N. — (1) Jackson Rifles, Jackson, Michigan. 

(2) Co. B, Second Regiment, Michigan. 

(3) Co. I, Second Regiment, Michigan. 

(4) Co. D, First Regiment, Minnesota. 

(5) Co. A, First Regiment, Minnesota. 

0. — (1) Keck Zouaves. 
(2) Memphis Zouaves. 
(3J Chicago Zouaves. 

(4) Busch Zouaves. 

P.— fl) Louisville Legion. 
(2) Louisville Battery. 

Illinois Battery A. 
Indiana Battery A. 
Third Indiana Gatling Gun Squad, 
(a I MilwaUlyo Ligbt Battery. 

(5) Battery B, Cincinnati.^ 



nMHnu 






A 






SOUVENIR 



OF THE 



SJ 



f m 



l 



w 




K 



rvMiW 



AND OF THE 



NATIONAL DRILL 



AND 



BNOAMMEIIT 



AX WASHINGTON, D. C. 



May 23d to May • 30th. 1887. 



W. F\ MORSE, 

Washington, D. C, and Atlanta, Ra 

1887-, 




Copyrighted, 1887,-W. F. Morse. 



Gibson Bros., Pi- ters, Washington. 



in 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE CITY OF WASHINGTON-SELECTING THE PERMANENT SEAT OF THE 
GOVERNMENT— THE LONG CONTEST IN CONGRESS— PRESIDENT WASH- 
INGTON'S CHOICE OF THE POTOMAC SITE— THE LEGISLATIVE BARGAIN 
MADE— JEFFERSON'S LITTLE DINNER-PARTY— ACT OF CONGRESS DE- 
FINING THE FEDERAL TERRITORY 

CHAPTER II. 

EARLY HISTORY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA— THE FIRST EXPLORERS 
AND SETTLERS— ANCIENT TOWNS OF ALEXANDRIA AND GEORGETOWN 
—THE OLD CHRIST CHURCH— GEORGETOWN COLLEGE-THE BOUNDS OF 
THE DISTRICT AS PROCLAIMED BY WASHINGTON— L'ENFANT'S DESIGN 
OF THE NATIONAL CAPITAL— THE CAREER OF THE UNFORTUNATE 
FRENCH ENGINEER 

CHAPTER III. 

THE ORIGINAL LANDHOLDERS OF WASHINGTON— THEIR AGREEMENT w xTH 
THE GOVERNMENT— DAVID BURNS AND HIS DAUGHTER— GENERAL 
VAN NESS-THE LANDS OF NOTLEY YOUNG, GEORGE WALKER, AND 
SAMUEL DAVIDSON— DUDDINGTON MANOR— DANIEL CARROLL'S DREAM 
OF WEALTH-SPECULATIONS IN CITY LOTS-ERECTING THE PUBLIC 
BUILDINGS— WASHINGTON IN 1800, WHEN THE GOVERNMENT TOOK 
POSSESSION 



PAGE 



17-26 



28-37 



39-49 



CONTENTS. 
4 

CHAPTER IV. 

PAGE 
FIRST YEARS OF THE CAPITAL-EVENTS OF INTEREST-THE INVASION BY 

BRITISH TROOPS-ANCIENT SOCIAL LIFE AND CUSTOMS-THE WELCOME 

TO LAFAYETTE-FROM 1830 TO 1861-THE CITY DURING THE CIVIL 

WAR— LINES OF DEFENCES-EARLY'S RAID— DEATH OF PRESIDENT 

LINCOLN— GRAND REVIEW OF THE UNION ARMY-IMPROVEMENT OF 

THE CITY-GOVERNOR SHEPHERD AND HIS WORK 5 1-68 



CHAPTER V. 

PRESENT APPEARANCE OF WASHINGTON— HOW L'ENFANT'S PLAN WAS DE- 
VELOPED-THE FOUR QUARTERS OF THE CITY-THE STREETS AND 
AVENUES-MEMORIAL STATUARY IN THE PARKS, SQUARES, AND 
CIRCLES-CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS-THE MARKET SYSTEM-FACTS RE- 
LATING TO THE POPULATION, BUSINESS, AND GOVERNMENT . . . 7O-79 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT-DETAILS OF THE LOFTY CENOTAPH-THE 
MEMORIAL STONES FROM ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD-THE KEY- 
STONE, CAPSTONE, AND ALUMINIUM TIP-CEREMONY OF SETTING THE 
CAPSTONE-HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT 8I-9O 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE CAPITOL— ADVERTISING FOR A DESIGN-THE CONTEST BETWEEN 
HALLATE AND THORNTON— LAYING THE CORNER STONE— AN ANCIENT 
ACCOUNT OF THE CEREMONY-THE REAL ARCHITECT OF THE OLD 
OR ORIGINAL CAPITOL-BUILDING THE EXTENSIONS-WEBSTER'S IN- 
SCRIPTION ON THE CORNER-STONE OF THE SOUTH EXTENSION . . QJ-IOI 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



PAGE 



DESCRIPTION OF THE CAPITOL-THE CENTRAL BUILDING AND THE EX- 
TENSIONS-VARIOUS WORKS OF ART-THE BRONZE DOORS-THE GREAT 
DOME AND STATUE OF FREEDOM-GREENOUGH'S STATUE OF WASH- 
INGTON-STATUE OF CHIEF JUSTICE MARSHALL-THE CAPITOL PARK— 
THE BOTANICAL GARDEN-NAVAL MONUMENT IO3-II5 



CHAPTER IX. 

PRINCIPAL STORY OF THE CAPITOL-THE ROTUNDA AND ITS CANOPY- 
HISTORICAL PAINTINGS-STATUARY HALL-THE STATUES CONTRIB- 
UTED BY VARIOUS STATES-NOTABLE WORKS OF ART-THE BASEMENT 
OF THE CAPITOL-UNDER-GROUND CHAMBERS AND CRYPTS-THE 
AMOUNT EXPENDED ON THE NATION'S BUILDING II7-I26 



CHAPTER X. 

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS-HISTORY OF THE GREAT NATIONAL COL- 
LECTION OF BOOKS— THE PURCHASE OF JEFFERSON'S LIBRARY— THE 
LIBRARIANS OF CONGRESS— THE LIBRARY HALLS— BOOKS READ BY 
THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS-THE COPYRIGHT LAWS OF THE UNITED 
STATES 128-135 



CHAPTER XI. 

THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES-THE COURT-CHAMBER— 
MEMBERS OF THE COURT— ANCIENT OFFICIAL COSTUME— THE COURT 
IN SESSION— LIST OF CHIEF JUSTICES FROM THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 
THE COURT TO THE PRESENT TIME I37-I42 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XII. 



PAGE 
THE HALLS OF CONGRESS— VARIOUS WORKS OF ART IN THE EXTENSIONS 

OF THE CAPITOL— HOW THE ANCIENT HALLS OF LEGISLATION AP- 
PEARED—THE ANNUAL SESSIONS OF CONGRESS— PRINCIPAL OFFICIALS 
OF BOTH HOUSES-DETAILS OF THE NATIONAL LEGISLATURE . . I44-155 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE WHITE HOUSE— ITS ARCHITECT AND HIS WORK— THE EARLY OCCU- 
PANTS OF THE PRESIDENTIAL RESIDENCE— MRS. MADISON'S DINNER 
FOR THE BRITISH SOLDIERS— AFTER THE FIRE OF 1814— PRESIDENT 
MONROE'S FIRST PUBLIC RECEPTION— LATER HISTORY— THE GROUNDS 
AND ROOMS OF THE WHITE HOUSE— THE ANNUAL EXPENDITURE FOR 
THE PUBLIC BUSINESS I57-166 

\ 

CHAPTER XIV. 

THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT— VARIOUS FACTS 
AND INTERESTING DETAILS OF THEIR ORGANIZATION— THE OFFICIALS 
AND CLERKS— THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION AND ITS METHODS- 
HOW THE APPLICANTS FOR ADMISSION TO THE PUBLIC SERVICE ARE 
EXAMINED I68-184 

CHAPTER XV. 

SKETCHES OF GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS— BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND 
PRINTING AND ITS WORK— REDEMPTION DIVISION OF THE TREASURY 
—THE SOLDIERS' HOME-THE NAVAL OBSERVATORY— DEPARTMENT OF 
AGRICULTURE— THE WEATHER BUREAU— DEAD-LETTER OFFICE— THE 
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION AND NATIONAL MUSEUM— VARIOUS MAT- 
TERS OF INTEREST .... I86-I94 



CONTENTS. ~ 

CHAPTER XVI. 

PAGE 
HISTORIC ARLINGTON— THE LARGEST OF THE NATIONAL MILITARY CEME- 
TERIES—EARLY HISTORY OF THE BEAUTIFUL ESTATE— JOHN CUSTIS 
AND HIS DESCENDANTS— GEORGE WASHINGTON PARKE CUSTIS— GEN- 
ERAL ROBERT E. LEE'S LIFE AT ARLINGTON— THE CUSTIS MANSION 
—THE GREAT BURIAL-FIELDS — O'HARA'S POEM, "THE BIVOUAC OF 
THE DEAD" I95-20O, 



CHAPTER XVII. 

THE CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART— THE BUILDING AND ITS ART TREAS- 
URES—SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF W. W. CORCORAN— THE COLUMBIAN 
UNIVERSITY — GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE — HOWARD 
UNIVERSITY— GRAVE OF JOHN HOWARD PAYNE 2II-2li 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

COLUMBIA INSTITUTION FOR, THE DEAF AND DUMB AND NATIONAL DEAF- 
MUTE COLLEGE— BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS— BALTIMORE AND POTO- 
MAC RAILROAD DEPOT— THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD 
—THE MASONIC TEMPLE— MAYORS OF WASHINGTON— THE CEMETERIES 
—DISTRICT COURT-HOUSE 2ICJ-227 



CHAPTER XIX. 



THE MEMORIAL TO MARTIN LUTHER— ARMY MEDICAL MUSEUM— THE GREAT 
MEDICAL LIBRARY OF THE GOVERNMENT — VARIOUS CITY INSTITU- 
TIONS—THE WASHINGTON NAVY YARD-GENERAL LAND-OFFICE— THE 
PUBLIC LANDS— BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS— OTHER INTERESTING 
MATTERS 229-238 



g CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XX. 

PAGE 
SKETCHES OF MOUNT VERNON, THE HOME OF WASHINGTON— THE ANCIENT 

MANSION— THE TOMB OF WASHINGTON— THE MARBLE SARCOPHAGUS- 
WASHINGTON'S LIFE AT MOUNT VERNON-AN ACCOUNT OF HIS DEATH 
AND BURIAL— THE CONGRESSIONAL FUNERAL CEREMONY- WASHING- 
TON'S WILL-THE VARIOUS LEGACIES-THE HEIRS TO MOUNT VERNON. 239-264 

CHAPTER XXI. 

THE INAUGURATION CEREMONIES OF PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES 
—THE FIRST INAUGURATION IN WASHINGTON— ANCIENT AND MODERN 
CUSTOMS— THE INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT CLEVELAND-CEREMONY 
AT THE CAPITOL-TAKING THE OATH OF OFFICE-THE GRAND PROCES- 
SION-THE INAUGURATION BALL IN THE NEW PENSION BUILDING . 266-285 

CHAPTER XXII. 

THE CHURCHES OF WASHINGTON-SKETCHES OF THE ANCIENT RELIGIOUS 
ORGANIZATIONS-CHURCHES THAT WERE ATTENDED BY THE PRESI- 
DENTS-THE PROMINENT CHURCHES-THE COLORED POPULATION- 
HOW EMANCIPATION WAS ACCOMPLISHED IN THE DISTRICT OF CO- 
LUMBIA 286-295 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE NATIONAL CAPITAL AS IT IS TO-DAY-VARIOUS ATTRACTIVE FEATURES 
-THE IMPROVEMENTS TO BE MADE -NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF THE 
BEAUTIFUL AND ARTISTIC HOMES IN THE WEST END AND ELSEWHERE 
IN THE CITY-THE ENVIRONS-SOME INTERESTING LOCALITIES . • 296-322 

ORIGINAL PLAN OF WASHINGTON 326—328 

THE PUBLIC SERVICE 33 I_ 345 

INDEX 347-35 l 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Capitol Hill as seen from the National Museum 

Washington in 1813 

The Capitol when First Erected 
Pennsylvania Avenue from the Treasury . 
Statue of General Jackson in Lafayette Park 
Statue of General McPherson .... 
Central Quarter of the City of Washington . 
Alexandria from the Potomac .... 
Old Christ Church in Alexandria — Washington's 
Georgetown, showing the Aqueduct Bridge 
Pierre Charles L' Enfant . * . 

Suter's Tavern in 179 i 

L'Enfant's Grave 

Georgetown College . . . 

David Burns' Cabin and the Van Ness Mansion 

Marcia Burns Van Ness 

duddington manor-house ....'■ 
Commodore Decatur's House and Tomb 
The President's House in 1800 . . 
Statue of General Nathaniel Greene 
Northwest Quarter of the City of Washington 

The " Great Hotel" in 1793 

Long Bridge .....-•• 
Old War Department Building .... 



Pew 



PAGE 
16 
18 

19 
21 

23 
25 
27 
29 
31 

33 
34 
35 
36 
38 
41 
42 

43 
45 

47 
48 

50 

52 
53 
55 



IO 



IL L USTRA TIONS. 



Defences of Washington during the Civil War 
Old Fortifications as they appear To-Day 
Ford's Theatre, where Lincoln was Shot 
House where Lincoln Died .... 

Grand March and Review of the Union Army, 1865 

Alexander R. Shepherd 

Statue of Admiral Farragut in Farragut Square 
Pennsylvania Avenue at Eleventh Street 
Statue of General Scott in Scott Square 

Statue of Washington 

Statue of Emancipation in Lincoln Park . 

Statue of General Thomas ..... 

Grounds of the Department of Agriculture and Monument 

Square . . . 

The Washington Monument 

Entrance to the Monument .... 

In the Elevator 

Capstone of the Monument, showing the Aluminium Tip 

Completing the Monument ..... 

Staging at the Top of the Monument during the Work of 

Completion ....... 

Colonel Thomas L. Casey, Chief Engineer of the Monument 
East Front of the Capitol ..... 

The Capitol in 1827 

Main Entrance of the Capitol .... 
Statue of War in Main Entrance of the Capitol 
Statue of Peace in Main Entrance of the Capitol 
National Botanical Garden .... 

West Front of the Capitol .... 
Dome of the Capitol ... . 



57 
59 
61 

63 
65 
67 • 

69 
7i 
73 

75 
76 
78 

80 
^3 
85 
86 

87 
88 

89 
90 
92 

93 
95 
98 

99 
100 
102 
104 



ILL USTRA TIONS. 



II 



Statue of Freedom on Capitol Dome 

Allegorical Group on Portico of the Capitol 

Marble Group; " The Discovery of America," on Portico of 

the Capitol . . . . . . 

Marble Group, " Civilization," on Portico of the Capitol 
The Rogers Bronze Door in Main Entrance of the Capitol 
The Crawford Bronze Door in Senate Extension of the 

Capitol .... 
Greenough's Statue of Washington in Eastern Park of the 

Capitol .... 
Statue of Chief Justice Marshall in Western Park of the 

Capitol .... 

The Naval Monument . 

The Rotunda of the Capitol 

Canopy of the Rotunda 

National Statuary Hall, showing the Historical Clock 

Statue of Fulton in Statuary Hall . 

Houdon's Statue of Washington in Statuary Hall 

Diagram of the Principal Story of the Capitol 

Library of Congress ...... 

Ainsworth R. Spofford, Librarian of Congress 
Statue of General Rawlins 
Statue of Admiral Dupont . 
The Supreme Court Chamber 
Court Seal .... 

Justices of the Supreme Court 

The Senate Chamber . 

The Senate Marble Room . 

The Senate Lobby . 

Grand Staircase in Senate Extension of the Capitol 



PAGE 

105 
105 

106 
107 
109 

in 

112 

113 
116 
119 
121 
122 
124 

125 
127 
129 
131 
133 
134 
136 

138 
139 
H3 
M5 
147 
148 



12 



ILL USTRA TIONS. 



Painting, " Perry's Victory on Lake Erie," in Senate Ex 

tension ...... 

Hall of the House of Representatives 

The Speaker's Mace 

Representatives' Retiring-Room . 

Old Capitol Prison in 1864 

The White House. 

South View of the White House 

East Room of the White House 

Rooms of the White House 161- 

conservatory of the white house 

State, War, and Navy Building . 

Foreign Legation Buildings . 

The Treasury Building 

Naval Observatory, showing the Great Equatorial Telescope 

The Post-Office Department 

The Patent Office 

The New Pension Building . 

Government Hospital for the Insane 

Government Printing-Office 

Bureau of Engraving and Printing 

Department of Agriculture 

The Smithsonian Institution 

Statue of Professor Joseph Henry, on Smithsonian Grounds 

Professor Spencer F. Baird, Secretary of the Smithsonian 

Institution 

The National Museum 

The Signal Office or Weather Bureau .... 

Arlington Mansion 

Burial-Field at Arlington — Tomb of Unknown Soldiers 



[49 

5i 
52 
53 
54 
56 
58 

59 
[63 
[64 
[67 

:6 9 

7* 

73 

75 
■77 

79 

81 

83 
85 
87 
[89 
[90 

[91 

[93 
[94 

196 

[97 



ill ustra tions. 

Grave of John Howard Payne, at Oak Hill Cemetery . 

Views at the Soldiers' Home 

Statue of General Scott at the Soldiers' Home . 

Summer Residence of Presidents of the United States at 
the Soldiers' Home 

The Thomas Circle . . . . . . 

Corcoran Gallery of Art 

William W. Corcoran 

The Louise Home . . . 

Columbian University ........ 

James C Welling, President of Columbian University . 

Howard University 

Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and National 
Deaf-Mute College 

Edward M. Gallaudet, President of the National Deaf- 
Mute College ........ 

Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Depot — Garfield Memorial 
Tablet . . 

View on Seventh Street . . 

View on F Street . . ..... 

The Masonic Temple . . . . .... 

The District Court-House . . ,.-.., . . . 

The W. B. Moses Building 

Pennsylvania Avenue looking down D Street . 

Statue of Martin Luther . 

Albaugh's Grand Opera-House and Infantry Armory 

National Rifles' Armory . ...... 

Young Men's Christian Association Building . 

The District Jail . . . . . . 

The Center Market . . ■ . ■ < . ■ • . 



13 

PAGE 
199 
203 
205 

207 
2IO 

212 
213 

215 
2l6 
217 
218 

220 

221 

222 

223 
224 
225 
226 
227 
228 
230 
23I 
232 
233 
234 
235 



H 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Corcoran 
Washington Mon 



Odd Fellows' Building 

Banking-House of Riggs & Co. . 

Ancient Architecture . 

Mount Vernon Mansion 

Tomb of Washington 

West Front Mount Vernon Mansion 

Washington's Bed-Chamber . 

Parlor in Mount Vernon Mansion 

The Mount Vernon Steamboat . 

Captain L. L. Blake, of Steamboat W. W 

Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, Orator of the 

ument 

Department of Justice . 

Franklin School .... 

Washington Navy Yard 

A Reception at the White House 

President Cleveland at his Desk in the White House. 

President Cleveland entering the Rotunda of the Capitol 

on the Way to his Inauguration 
President Cleveland taking the Oath of Office 
The Inaugural Procession on Pennsylvania Avenue 
The Cleveland Inauguration Ball in the New Pension 

Building ....... 

Souvenir Ticket of the Inauguration Ball 
Churches ....... 

Residences 

Map of the City of Washington 

L'Enfant's Plan of the City of Washington 

Plan of the Senate Chamber 

Plan of the Hall of the House of Representatives 



287- 
297- 



page 
236 

237 
238 
241 
244 
244 
247 
247 
250 
253 

255 
258 
260 
263 
265 
269 

273 
275 
277 

281 

283 

-295 
-321 

323 
325 
329 
330 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




CHAPTER I. 

THE CITY OF WASHINGTON— SELECTING THE PERMANENT SEAT OF THE GOVERNMENT 
—THE LONG CONTEST IN CONGRESS— PRESIDENT WASHINGTON'S CHOICE OF THE 
POTOMAC SITE— THE LEGISLATIVE BARGAIN MADE— JEFFERSON'S LITTLE DINNER- 
PARTY—ACT OF CONGRESS DEFINING THE FEDERAL TERRITORY. 

HE city of Washington can be likened to a splendid century- 
plant set on the banks of the Potomac by the Father of his 
Country, and which has now blossomed for the first time. 
For nearly one hundred years the capital of the American 
nation has had an existence, but it is only within a few years that it can 
be safd to have awakened to a vigorous life. At first it was a promising 
settlement animated by extravagant visions of a sudden, grand develop- 
ment, but when these hopes and dreams were dispelled it settled down 
into a slothful, dreary, repulsive town, — a sort of tattered fringe on the 
national garb. And for a long time it was content to be, as M. de Bacourt 
wrote, "neither a city, nor a village, nor the country, but a building yard 
placed in a desolate spot wherein living is unbearable." But Washington 
now is bright and beautiful and progressive, and gives abundant promise 
of becoming the grandest capital of the world. 

Soon after the Revolutionary war the question of a permanent seat for 
the American government began to be agitated. The Continental Congress 
had been compelled to hold its sessions in eight different places, and the 
Congress of the Confederation was driven from Philadelphia, after sitting 
there during five years, to Princeton, New Jersey, because its proceedings 
had been interrupted by a mob of turbulent soldiers, who were not 
promptly checked by the authorities of the city. " This untoward event," 
it is stated, " led to much unfavorable comment, and exercised undoubted 
influence in determining against the location of the ultimate seat of Con- 

2 17 



i8 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




WASHINGTON IN 1813. 



gress and the government in any large city." On the 23d of December, 
1784, a resolution was adopted by the Congress of the Confederation for 
the appointment of commissioners to lay. out a district on the Delaware 
river, near the Lower Falls, for " a Federal town, a Federal House for 
Congress, and for the executive officers thereof, and houses for the Presi- 
dent and the Secretaries of Foreign Affairs, War, the Marine, and the 
Treasury." It was moved to substitute " Georgetown on the Potomac" 
as the site of the Federal town, but all the States except Virginia voted 
against the motion. The resolution for some unknown reason was not 
carried into effect, and the whole matter remained quiescent until May 10, 
1787, when an effort was made in Congress, then sitting in New York, to 
take up a resolution for the erection of government buildings at George- 
town. This effort did not succeed, and nothing further was done in the 
Congress of the Confederation toward establishing the permanent seat of 
the government. 

During the session in Philadelphia, in the summer of 1787, of the 
convention to revise the Federal system of government, it was proposed 
that the new Constitution of the United States should provide " against 
choosing for the seat of the general government any city or place where a 
State government might be fixed," as it was believed that disputes would 
continually arise concerning jurisdiction. The matter was generally dis- 
cussed, and when the draft of the Constitution was being considered a 
motion was made by James Madison that the following clause be added 
to the enumerated powers of Congress: "To exercise exclusively legis- 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



19 



lative authority at the seat of the General Government, and over a district 

around the same not exceeding square miles, the consent of the 

State or States comprising the same being first obtained." 

The motion was adopted, and the proposed clause went to the com- 
mittee on style, and was arranged in the form it now has in the Con- 
stitution : " To exercise exclusive legislation, in all cases whatsoever, 
over such district (not exceeding ten miles square) as may by cession of 
particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of 
government of the United States." 

The First Congress of the United States under the Constitution assem- 
bled in New York on the 4th of March, 1789, but it was not until a month 
later that it was ready for business. Within a short time after the session 
had begun numerous memorials were received praying for the settlement 
of the question of the permanent seat of the government. The claims of 
New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Reading, Germantown, Alexandria, 
Georgetown, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Carlisle, Trenton, and other places 
were urged with pertinacity, and Congress was soon " divided into schools 
of opinion hard to reconcile." The Eastern members would not agree 
to the location of the capital in Maryland or Virginia, and were hardly 
inclined to look with favor upon any place except the city of New York, 
which had provided Congress with ample and suitable accommodations 




THE CAPITOL WHEN FIRST ERECTED. 



20 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

free of cost. Nearly all the Southern members were in favor of the 
Potomac site, claiming that it possessed advantages which made it superior 
to all other places. Every place proposed had its strong advocates, and 
for a long time it seemed as if it would be impossible for Congress to 
decide upon any location. The Maryland legislature, on December 23, 
1788, had passed "an act to cede to Congress and the United States any 
district not exceeding ten miles square which the Congress may fix upon 
and accept for the seat of government of the United States ;" and the 
Virginia legislature, in 1789, passed a similar act. 

A stubborn contest over this important matter was begun in the 
House of Representatives on August 27, 1789. A motion was made 
" that a permanent residence ought to be fixed for the general government 
of the United States at some convenient place as near the centre of wealth, 
population, and extent of territory as may be consistent with conven- 
ience to the navigation of the Atlantic ocean, and have due regard to the 
particular situation of the Western country." 

The debate was opened by Roger Sherman, of Connecticut, who made 
an elaborate argument against the motion, contending that as the Union 
of the States was not completed, Rhode Island and North Carolina not 
being represented in Congress, a question so important as this one should 
be postponed to the next session. He declared, also, that the government 
could not establish a Federal town, as it was not possessed of sufficient 
resources. 

Some of the Southern members argued that the establishment of a 
capital would be a strong bond of union, and would greatly aid the nation 
in its progress and development. Fisher Ames doubted " whether the 
government could stand the shock of such a measure, which involved as 
many passions as the human heart could display." Finally the question 
was made the special order for the 3d of September following, and on 
that day and the next the debate was renewed with increased earnestness. 

An Eastern member moved to locate the capital at " some convenient 
place on the east bank of the Susquehanna river in Pennsylvania." A 
substitute was offered by a Virginia member, which provided for " a place 
as nearly central as a convenient communication with the Atlantic ocean 
and an easy access to the Western territory will permit." The substitute 
motion was lost, and the motion for the Susquehanna location was carried 
by a vote of 32 to 18. 

Then ensued a long and bitter wrangle. The Eastern members were 
charged with having conspired with the members from Pennsylvania to 
prevent the Potomac site from being chosen, and with a disposition to 
force a decision in a single day. It was declared that Virginia would not 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



21 




PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE FROM THE TREASURY. 



have entered the Union if it had been believed in her convention that 
the interests of the Southern States were to be sacrificed. Time was 
demanded for a free and full debate, and that all the facts be gathered 
concerning the various sites proposed. 

The Eastern and Pennsylvania members indignantly denied the charge 
of conspiracy. They believed the Susquehanna was nearer the centre of 
population than the Potomac, and that it had a much better climate. 
One declared that the climate of the Potomac region "was very unhealthy 
and exceedingly destructive to northern constitutions." A motion to sub- 
stitute the Potomac for the Susquehanna was voted down, and then a 
resolution for the appointment of commissioners to report the most 
eligible site on the Susquehanna was adopted by 28 yeas to 21 nays. 

Three days were occupied by the Senate in discussing the matter, but 
no record of the debate has been preserved. At last it was decided not 
to accept the Susquehanna site, and on September 26, 1789, the Senate 
passed a bill by 10 to 7 locating the capital on the Delaware river at 
Germantown, Pennsylvania. The bill was sent to the House the same 
day, and, after a rather stormy debate, was agreed to by a vote of 3 1 to 24. 



22 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

The House, however, inserted in it a proviso for the continuance of 
the Pennsylvania laws in force in the district to be ceded to the United 
States until Congress should otherwise provide, and sent it back to the 
Senate for concurrence. It was within forty-eight hours of the close of 
the session, and as there were many important matters to be acted upon, 
the Senate postponed the further consideration of the bill until the next 
session. 

The second session of the First Congress began January 4, 1790, but 
both houses were completely engrossed with bills concerning the revenue 
and public debt, and no mention was made of the capital question until 
the last- day of May. At that time a bill was introduced in the Senate 
by Pierce Butler, of South Carolina, to locate the permanent seat of the 
government on the eastern bank of the Potomac. It was referred to a 
select committee, which afterwards made a favorable report, but the 
Senate rejected the bill by a vote of 9 to 15. Wilmington and Balti- 
more were then proposed, but were also rejected by a large majority. 
No one seemed to care to take up the Germantown bill, and not the 
slightest reference was made to it. 

It was well known that President Washington desired the capital to 
be located on the Potomac, and that, in fact, it was his pet project, and 
one for which he had labored zealously for a long time. From early 
manhood he had noted the wide, undulating plain on which the national 
capital is now located, its special adaptation to the purposes of a large 
city, and had even ventured a prediction that one day it would contain a 
large community. He held the great Arlington estate, on the Virginia 
side of the river, as guardian for the Custis children, and sitting on its 
high eastern bank with his sweet wife on many a pleasant summer after- 
noon enjoying the sweeping view of valley and hill and river, he is said 
to have conceived and elaborated the idea of having the seat of govern- 
ment located where it is. He had nearly the full support of the Southern 
members of Congress in this matter, but was unable to secure the 
necessary aid of the members from the Eastern and Middle States. 

Two weeks passed before Congress again took up the momentous 
question. On the 28th of June, 1790, a bill came before the Senate 
locating the seat of government " on the river Potomac, at some space 
between the mouths of the Eastern Branch and Conococheague." The 
Southern Senators all voted for it, and they were supported by two 
Senators from Pennsylvania, one from New Jersey, and one from New 
Hampshire, the vote standing 16 yeas to 9 nays. 

The House acted on the bill on the 9th of July, after debating it for 
three days. A strong effort was made to substitute Baltimore, but when 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



23 




STATUE OF GENERAL JACKSON IN 
LAFAYETTE PARK. 



it was found to be of no avail, the 
bill as it came from the Senate 
was passed by a vote of 32 to 29. 
In passing it the Southern mem- 
bers were aided by votes from the 
Pennsylvania and New Jersey dele- 
gations. The bill provided that 
Philadelphia should be the capital 
city until 1800, when the seat of gov- 
ernment should be located perma- 
nently on the banks of the Potomac. 

Thomas Jefferson has written what may be considered the " inside" 
history of the passage of the bill. It appears that a legislative bargain 
was .made. At that time there was before Congress Alexander Hamil- 
ton's funding bill, which has been designated as a " monument of states- 
manship," and which provided for the payment by the general government 
of the twenty millions of indebtedness incurred by the various States 
during the Revolution. The bill had met with great opposition from the 
Southern members, and the House had rejected it. The Eastern States 
held a majority of the war claims, and it was feared they would withdraw 
from the Union if the government did not assume the indebtedness. 

In reference to this Mr. Jefferson says, " I proposed to Hamilton to 
dine with me, and I would invite another friend or two and bring them 



24 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



into conference together, and I thought it impossible that reasonable men 
consulting together coolly could fail, by some mutual sacrifices of opinion, 
to form a compromise which was to save the Union. The discussion took 
place. It was finally agreed that, whatever importance had been attached 
to the rejection of the funding proposition, the preservation of the Union 
and of concord among the States was more important, and that there- 
fore it would be better that the vote of rejection should be rescinded, to 
effect which some members should change their votes. But it was ob- 
served that this pill would be peculiarly bitter to the Southern States, and 
that some concomitant measure should be adopted to sweeten it a little 
to them. There had been before propositions to fix the seat of govern- 
ment either at Philadelphia or at Georgetown on the Potomac ; and it was 
thought by giving it to Philadelphia for ten years, and to Georgetown 
permanently afterwards, this might act as an anodyne, and calm in some 
measure the ferment which might be excited by the other measure alone. 
So two of the Potomac members agreed to change their votes, and Ham- 
ilton undertook to carry the other point. In doing this the influence 
he had established over the Eastern members effected his side of the 
engagement, and so the Assumption was passed." 

By this sagacious plan, which, it is believed, originated with Jefferson, 
the funding bill and the bill locating the seat of government, the two 
measures which had disturbed the harmony of the " infant nation" and 
had seriously threatened the continuance of the Union of the States, were 
disposed of satisfactorily. 

The following is the " Act for establishing the temporary and perma- 
nent seat of the government of the United States," as passed by Congress 
on the 9th of July, 1790: 

" Section i. — Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That a district of 
territory not exceeding ten miles square, to be located as hereafter directed, 
on the river Potomac, at some space between the mouths of the Eastern 
Branch and Conococheague, be, and the same is hereby accepted for the 
permanent seat of the government of the United States : Provided, never- 
theless, that the operation of the laws of the State within such district 
shall not be affected by this acceptance until the time fixed for the removal 
of the government thereto, and until Congress shall otherwise by law 
provide. 

" Section 2. — And be it further enacted, That the President of the 
United States be authorized to appoint, and, by supplying vacancies hap- 
pening from refusals to act or other causes, to keep in appointment as 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



25 




STATUE OF GENERAL MCPHERSON. 



long as may be necessary, three commissioners, who, or any two of whom, 
shall, under the direction of the President, survey, and by proper metes 
and bounds define and limit a district of territory under the limitations 
above mentioned ; and the district so defined, limited and located shall 
be deemed the district accepted by this act for the permanent seat of the 
government of the United States. 

" Section 3. — And be it enacted, That the said commissioners, or any 
two of them, shall have power to purchase or accept such quantity of 
land on the eastern side of the said river within the said district as the 
President shall deem proper for the use of the United States, and accord- 
ing to such plans as the President shall approve said commissioners, or 
any two of them, shall prior to the first Monday in December, in the year 
one thousand eight hundred, provide suitable buildings for the accommo- 
dation of Congress, and of the President, and for the public offices of the 
government of the United States. 

" Section 4. — And be it enacted, That for defraying the expense of such 



2 6 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

purchases and buildings, the President of the United States be authorized 
and requested to accept grants of money. 

"Section 5. — And be it enacted, That prior to the first Monday in 
December next, all offices attached to the seat of government of the 
United States shall be removed to, and until the first Monday in Decem- 
ber, in the year one thousand eight hundred, shall remain at the city of 
Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, at which place the session of 
Congress next ensuing the present shall be held. 

" Section 6. — And be it enacted, That on the said first Monday in De- 
cember, in the year one thousand eight hundred, the seat of the govern- 
ment of the United States shall by virtue of this act be transferred to the 
district and place aforesaid, and all offices attached to the said seat of 
government shall accordingly be removed thereto by their respective 
holders, and shall, after the said day, cease to be exercised elsewhere ; 
and that the necessary expense of such removal shall be defrayed out of 
the duties on impost and tonnage, of which a sufficient sum is hereby 
appropriated. 

"July 16, 1790. (Approved.) 

"GEORGE WASHINGTON, 

" President of the United States." 





CHAPTER II. 

EARLY HISTORY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA-THE FIRST EXPLORERS AND SET- 
TLERS—ANCIENT TOWNS OF ALEXANDRIA AND GEORGETOWN— THE OLD CHRIST 
CHURCH— GEORGETOWN COLLEGE-THE BOUNDS OF THE DISTRICT AS PROCLAIMED 
BY WASHINGTON-L'ENFANT'S DESIGN OF THE NATIONAL CAPITAL— THE CAREER 
OF THE UNFORTUNATE FRENCH ENGINEER. 

HE region now known as the District of Columbia, or the 
Federal Territory, was partially explored by Captain John 
Smith in 1608. He was the first white man to sail up the 
" Patawomeke," as he calls it in his letters, and he found its 
waters full of luscious fish and its shores inhabited by savage tribes. 
Fiftee^f years later, in search of furs, Henry Fleet, the doughty English 
trader, followed nearly in the course described by Captain Smith, and 
made himself, and afterwards the world by means of graphic letters, 
familiar with what he enthusiastically termed "the most healthful and 
pleasantest region in all this country." Fleet was a capable writer as well 
as an enterprising fur-trader and explorer, and he wrote interesting de- 
scriptions of the " fair and fertile lands" traversed by him in Maryland and 
Virginia. He went fearlessly among the ferocious Indians, and once was 
held a captive by them. Some forty years after he had made the Potomac 
country well known in England, a party of emigrants, mostly from Scot- 
land and Ireland, settled in that portion of Maryland now included in the 
District of Columbia. They found a productive soil and genial climate, 
and their farms were bordered by a river on which snow-white swans 
gracefully floated. Documents relating to three tracts of land, all lying 
within the boundary of the city of Washington, have come down to the 
present time from these early occupants of the district. One, bearing 
date of June 5, 1663, describes by metes and bounds what is now Capitol 
Hill. The tract was owned and occupied by Francis Pope, and he called 
it Room or Rome. The small, sluggish stream flowing at the western 
base of the hill was named by him the Tiber river. Another of the 
documents is dated June 5, 1663, and refers to a tract laid out for Captain 
Robert Troop, and designated as " Scotland Yard." This is believed to 
28 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



2 9 



be the land now constituting the southeastern part of Washington. The 
third document has the date of 1681, and describes a tract possessed by- 
William Lang, and known as the " Widow's Mite," which it is believed 
was in the western part of the city. Of these settlers scarcely anything 
is known. For a hundred years they and their descendants lived doubt- 
less in peace and comfort " far from the busy haunts of men," little 
dreaming that on their fields would eventually stand the fair capital city 
of the great American republic. 

In 1748 the town of Bellhaven was founded on the Virginia side of 
the Potomac, five miles below what is now the city of Washington. A 
few years afterwards its name was changed to Alexandria. This ancient 
town had a promising early career. It rapidly became an important port 
and developed an extensive foreign trade. It was well known in the great 
English commercial cities. General Washington, Governor Lee, and 
other prominent Virginians interested themselves in its development, and 
at one time it was thought it would become a greater city than Baltimore. 
Warehouses crowded with tobacco and flour and corn lined its docks, 
and fleets of merchant vessels filled its harbor. Its claims were strongly 
advanced as a suitable place for the location of the permanent seat of the 
national government. On November 21, 1792, the publication was begun 
of a semi-weekly newspaper named the Columbian Mirror and Alexandria 
Gazette, and this journal for a number of years was the only one published 
in this section of the country. It was taken by all the opulent families, 
and was read regularly by Washington. Recently, in making repairs at 
the Mount Vernon mansion, a copy of this paper of the year 1799 was 
discovered in a niche in the roof. 

Alexandria is now a city of fifteen thousand people, — a dull, uninter- 



--*=%m.. 




ALEXANDRIA FROM THE POTOMAC. 



o THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

esting place, all its ancient glory having departed. Like many other 
promising cities in the early years of the nation, it has simply advanced 
in population but has retrograded in commercial importance. From 
1 79 1 to 1846 it was a part of the District of Columbia, but in the latter 
year Congress retroceded it, with all the lands of the district on the 
western bank of the Potomac, to the State of Virginia. 

The old Christ Episcopal Church in Alexandria is a special object of 
interest. It was constructed of English bricks, and dedicated in 1765. 
Here Washington worshipped for many years, and he was a member of 
its vestry. A writer says, " The good people and gentry of the vicinage 
were wont to loiter about the church door each Sunday morning until 
Washington's equipage appeared. When he and his stately wife de- 
scended from their capacious carriage, very like a modern stage-coach, 
honest, modest farmers stood abashed, with uncovered heads, while the 
greatest man of any age or country was formally greeted by the ' nobility' 
of the district. Washington and his household led the way, and then the 
throng entered the sanctuary, in which the services of the Church of 
England were most reverently celebrated." 

Washington's family pew in the venerable church is preserved. It 
has a high back and three seats, two of which face each other, and the 
third is against the wall. Washington always occupied the wall seat, 
and it is stated that it was his custom to "sit bolt upright 'and face the 
congregation instead of the pastor." 

By act of the Maryland legislature, in 175 1 , the laying out of the 
town of Georgetown on the Potomac, above the mouth of Rock creek, 
was authorized, but the town was not incorporated until thirty-eight 
years later. Many suppose it derives its name from George II., as it 
came into existence during his reign; but others aver that it was named 
after George, the son of Ninian Beall, who originally held patents for the 
land on the " Rock of Dumbarton," upon which a considerable portion 
of Georgetown is built. It was known as the " town of George" many 
years before it was incorporated. At present it is called West Washing- 
ton, as it is a part of the capital city. On its steep heights are numerous 
fine mansions and various institutions. Formerly great ships from every 
quarter of the globe sailed into its harbor and its foreign commerce was 
extensive, but now in place of this are large shipments of coal, grain, 
and flour to domestic ports. It was in Georgetown that the plans and 
arrangements for the laying out of the city of Washington were made, 
and the ancient borough may be called the godmother of the capital. 

The Georgetown College is an important institution. Its history goes 
back to the past century. Founded by Bishop John Carroll in 1789, 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



31 




OLD CHRIST CHURCH IN ALEXANDRIA — WASHINGTON'S PEW. 



made a university in 18 15, it has advanced steadily, until at present it 
is the largest and most prominent Catholic institution of learning in the 
United States. It is under the control of the Jesuits, and its students 
are mainly from the Southern States. Besides its collegiate depart- 
ments it has schools of law and medicine. The college buildings are 
situated on the brow of a hill overlooking the Potomac, and the grounds 
cover more than one hundred acres. 

On January 24, 1791, six months after Congress had passed the act 
locating the permanent seat of government, President Washington issued 
a proclamation defining the territory he had selected. By his request 
Congress amended the act, March 3, 1791, so as to include a section 



^ 2 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

of country below Alexandria, and on March 30 the President issued an 
amendatory proclamation, in which the Federal Territory was described 
as follows : 

" Beginning at Jones' Point, being the upper cape of Hunting creek 
in Virginia, and at an angle of 45 degrees west of the north, and running 
in a direct line ten miles for the first line; then beginning again at the 
same Jones' Point and running another direct line at a right angle with 
the first; then from the terminations of the said first and second line, 
running two other direct lines of ten miles each, the one crossing the 
Eastern Branch and the other the Potomac, and meeting each other in 
a point." 

The President proclaimed that " the territory so to be located, defined, 
and limited shall be the whole territory accepted by the said act of Con- 
gress as the district for the permanent seat of the government of the 
United States." It was ten miles square, or one hundred square miles, 
and contained 64,000 acres. It included one county in Maryland and one 
in Virginia, with the Potomac flowing between. Georgetown to the north 
and Alexandria to the south were in the district. 

Three commissioners were appointed to run the lines and survey and 
lay out the new Federal Territory. They were General Thomas Johnson 
and Hon. Daniel Carroll, of Maryland, and Dr. David Stuart, of Virginia. 
General Johnson had served with Washington all through the Revolu- 
tionary war, and had proved a gallant soldier and trusty intimate. Rather 
brusque and impetuous and given often to " strange oaths," he was, never- 
theless, of an exceedingly kind disposition, and an earnest, faithful worker. 
Washington counted him among his most devoted friends, and sometimes 
declared he believed " the General" would go " through fire and water" to 
serve him. Daniel Carroll was a young man not thirty years of age. He 
was one of the distinguished and numerous Carroll family of Maryland, 
and a good deal of an aristocrat, holding a large estate and giving grand 
entertainments at his manor-house. He was a member of Congress, and 
had given hearty support to the bill locating the capital on the Potomac. 
Dr. Stuart practised medicine in Alexandria, and was the leading phy- 
sician in that section of Virginia. He had married the widow of Major 
John Parke Custis, the son of Martha Washington by her first husband, 
and was Washington's family physician. He was a benevolent elderly 
gentleman, and a great admirer of the classic poets, constantly inter- 
larding his conversation with quotations from them. 

These three men entered upon their duty at once, and on April 15, 
1 791, they laid the first boundary stone of the district at Jones' Point, in 
Virginia, after the Masonic form. An Alexandria lodge of Masons con- 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



33 




GEORGETOWN, SHOWING THE AQUEDUCT BRIDGE. 



ducted the ceremony, which was witnessed by several thousand people 
from all the country round. The commissioners named the district the 
" Territory of Columbia," and it retained this name for a number of years ; 
and the " Federal City" to be founded they decided should be known as 
" The City of Washington." 

The plan of the city was drawn by Major Pierre Charles L'Enfant, a 
French engineer, who had come to the United States from Paris in 1777, 
and had served during the Revolutionary war in the French contingent 
under the Count D'Estaing. When the French troops departed from the 
country L'Enfant remained, and became a major of engineers in the Fed- 
eral army. He had charge of the reconstruction of the old City Hall in 
New York when it was prepared as a " Federal House" for the First Con- 
gress, and had also arranged the building in Philadelphia occupied for the 
same purpose. He had constructed for Robert Morris, the wealthy mer- 
chant and statesman of Philadelphia, a mansion having the first mansard 
roof ever seen in America, and had also designed and attended to the 
manufacture of the gold badge of the Society of the Cincinnati. In the 
latter part of 1790 he was commissioned by President Washington to 
prepare the plan of the new government city, and in March, 1791, Secre- 
tary of State Jefferson wrote to him " to proceed to Georgetown, where 
you will find Mr. Ellicott employed in making a survey and map of the 
Federal Territory." When L'Enfant arrived in the district, he "viewed 
the ground on horseback" in company with the President and commis- 
sioners, and immediately set to work to perfect his plan, which he had 
begun some months before. 

3 



34 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



In those days there was in Georgetown a famous tavern known as 
Suter's, to which the wealthy planters of the neighboring country resorted 
for entertainment. It was a long, low wooden building with a slanting 
roof and wide porch, and was kept by a Scotchman named John Suter. 
As he was an honest, jovial host, and always provided a bountiful table, 
his tavern was a favorite resort. Here, day after day for several weeks, 
Washington, L'Enfant, and the commissioners met to confer about the 
plan of the capital city, and here also they met the proprietors of the 
land, and arranged with them for its transfer to the government. Wash- 
ington generally rode from Mount Vernon to Suter's on a spirited horse, 
which would come galloping up the Alexandria turnpike at a very rapid 
pace to the ferry from the Virginia shore to Georgetown. When the 
details of L'Enfant's plan had been arranged he made a finished drawing 
of it, and it was approved by the President, and formally adopted by the 
commissioners. L'Enfant was appointed to superintend the execution 
of the plan, and he selected a corps of assistants, among whom was 
Andrew Ellicott, a young Pennsylvanian of marked ability as a surveyor. 
Ellicott afterwards received the title of " Geographer General." 

In the office of the Architect of the Capitol is a torn and dingy paper, 
yellow and faded with age. Some of its lines of ink have entirely dis- 
appeared, and others are almost invisible. One can see, however, that it 
was once an elaborate, elegantly finished design drawn with great skill. 
It is the original plan of the city of Washington made by L'Enfant's own 
hand, and his writing upon it is as fine and perfect as copper-plate. The 
government never published the plan, as L'Enfant carefully kept it until 
his death, but instead had engraved and widely circulated a plan made 
by Ellicott in 1792. The Ellicott plan was drawn by him from sketches 

he had made of L'Enfant's plan and from 
information he had obtained while surveying 
the city under L'Enfant's direction. It differs 
from the original plan only in what may be 
called minor details. 

Why the government adopted the Ellicott 
plan can thus be told : When L'Enfant began 
his work of laying out the city he felt the 
importance of his position and believed he 
had the entire control of affairs. He arranged 
a certain system of construction, and would 
not permit any one to deviate from it. The 
city was first thoroughly surveyed and all 
i'ierre Charles l'enfant. the lines established in an accurate manner. 




THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



35 




suter's tavern in i 79 i. 



No one was allowed to build until the survey was completed. The 
government reservations were all indicated, the public buildings located, 
the streets and avenues marked out, and the whole city was divided 
into squares as nearly as possible of equal size. L'Enfant had trouble 
at once with the landholders, who did not like the precise system he 
had adopted in regard to the streets and buildings. He also became 
involved in quarrels with the commissioners, who resented his dicta- 
torial manner and assumption of authority. They tried to check and 
control him, countermanded his orders, and called him erratic and 
insubordinate. One of them even began the erection of a house directly 
across an avenue, cutting it in two and spoiling it. L'Enfant pulled 
down the house, and this arbitrary act added fuel to the flame of disfavor 
in which he was held. At last the commissioners demanded that he 



36 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



should submit his plan of the 
city to them, in order that it 
might be engraved and pub- 
lished for the benefit of those 
intending to buy lots at the 
government sales. L'Enfant 
refused to do this, and defended 
his action by asserting that if 
his plan was published specu- 
lators would purchase the best 
land in his " vistas and archi- 
tectural squares and raise hud- 
dles of shanties which would 
permanently disfigure the city." 
In consequence of this refusal 
the President dismissed him 
from the public service March 
I, 1792, and Ellicott was di- 
rected " to go on and finish the 
laying off the plan on the 
ground and the surveying and platting the 
district." Ellicott was also directed " to 
prepare a plan for publication, using the 
materials gathered and the information 
acquired while acting as surveyor." This 
plan was engraved in the summer of 1792 by Thackara 
& Vallance in Philadelphia, and circulated by the govern- 
ment all over the United States and in England and 
France. Some time before his dismissal L'Enfant had 
marked out the streets and avenues in the greater part 
of the city, and had indicated where the Capitol, the 
President's House, and the other public buildings were to stand, so that 
it was really very little labor for Ellicott to make a plan in close imitation 
of L'Enfant's. 

On the 6th of March, 1792, Secretary of State Jefferson wrote to the 
commissioners in regard to L'Enfant's dismissal, and said, "It is now 
proper that he should receive the reward of his past services, and that he 
should have no just cause of discontent, I suggest that it should be 
liberal. The President thinks $2500 or $3000, but leaves the determina- 
tion to you." Eight days afterwards the commissioner sent a letter to 
L'Enfant informing him that they had ordered five hundred guineas to be 




L'ENFANT'S 
GRAVE. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. ,- 

paid to him by a banking firm, and had also recorded a lot in the city in 
his name as compensation for his services. L'Enfant replied as follows : 
" Without inquiring the principle upon which you suggest this offer, I 
shall only here testify my surprise thereupon, and in testimony of my 
intention to decline accepting of it I hasten expressing to you my wish 
and request that you will call back your order for the money and not take 
any further trouble about the lot." 

So, refusing to receive any compensation, the designer of the national 
capital, at the age of thirty-seven, retired from " the work of beauty which 
was to him a work of love," a mortified, disappointed man. And for 
twenty years there is but little definite record of him. Alexander Hamil- 
ton occasionally wrote to him, and President Madison once sent him a 
commission as professor of engineering at West Point, but the commis- 
sion was returned inscribed, " Not accepted, but not refused." During 
the war of 1812, L'Enfant was chosen by James. Monroe, then Secretary 
of War, to construct what is now known as Fort Washington, on the 
Potomac. He planned the work and carried it on for a time, but failing 
to agree with the War Department on some details of construction, he 
was dismissed. 

After this L'Enfant spent the remainder of his life at the manor-houses 
of the Digges family in Maryland, a pensioner on their bounty. About 
six months before he died he resided with Dudley Digges on the Chellum 
Castle estate near Bladensburg, and about five miles from Washington. 
Here, on the 4th of June, 1824, he died in the seventieth year of his age, 
and was buried in the garden of the estate, but no stone was placed above 
his grave. And to-day the last resting-place of this unfortunate man of 
genius is marked only by a tall cedar-tree inclining over a bank covered 
with myrtle. 

L'Enfant in his latter years was occasionally seen in the streets of the 
city he had designed, and is remembered as a man of medium height, with 
a bright, intellectual face and courteous manner. He usually wore a blue 
frock-coat of antique fashion and a bell-crowned hat. Time has fully 
established the great merit of his plan, and it is a recognized fact that 
by means of it Washington has been able to develop into a beautiful 
metropolis. 



AJfA Pi 



CHAPTER III. 

THE ORIGINAL LANDHOLDERS OF WASHINGTON— THEIR AGREEMENT WITH THE 
GOVERNMENT— DAVID BURNS AND HIS DAUGHTER— GENERAL VAN NESS— THE 
LANDS OF NOTLEY YOUNG, GEORGE WALKER, AND SAMUEL DAVIDSON— DUDDING- 
TON MANOR— DANIEL CARROLL'S DREAM OF WEALTH— SPECULATIONS IN CITY 
LOTS— ERECTING THE PUBLIC BUILDINGS— WASHINGTON IN 1800, WHEN THE 
GOVERNMENT TOOK POSSESSION. 

T is not difficult to conceive of the embarrassment under which 
President Washington and the commissioners labored in deal- 
ing with the proprietors of the land lying within the bounds 
of the Federal City, and one can readily believe that the 
President must have frequently gone to his Virginia home after a day's 
conflict with these rapacious persons thoroughly disgusted with their 
narrow-mindedness and entire lack of public spirit. The records very 
clearly show that, with one or two exceptions, they were a grasping set, 
bent only on their own personal advantage, and that every concession to 
the public good had to be drawn from them by " main strength." They 
were mostly small planters who had inherited their lands from the first 
settlers of the district, and whose lives had been exceedingly common and 
obscure until the location of the capital had brought them into notice. 
Their lands were of no special value, and before the coming of the gov- 
ernment among them could probably have been purchased for a small 
sum; but as soon as they ascertained that the splendid prize so eagerly 
contended for by the prominent cities was within their grasp they became 
inflamed with a raging fever for wealth and aggrandizement, and this fever 
constantly increasing by the oft-repeated stories that the national city was 
likely in a short time to exceed New York in population and importance, 
consumed all their generous feelings and left them sordid and difficult to 
deal with. For weeks there was a conflict over the lands, and almost 
daily Suter's tavern was the scene of bitter contentions between the com- 
missioners and land-owners, which even the presence of Washington did 
not abate. David Burns, a vulgar old Scotchman, who was one of the 
largest owners, took occasion one day to insult the President by saying, 

39 



40 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



in reply to one of his arguments in favor of the proposed transfer of the 
lands to the government, " I suppose, Mr. Washington, you think people 
are going to take every grist from you as pure grain ; but what would you 
have been if you hadn't married the rich widow Custis?" History fails 
to record Washington's reception of this piece of impertinence, but it is 
recorded that he would never have anything further to do with " that 
obstinate Mr. Burns," as he designated the audacious planter. 

Finally, after a great deal of toil and trouble, the principal proprietors 
of the lands signed the following agreement, and it was recorded by the 
commissioners, April 12, 1791 : 

" We, the subscribers, in consideration of the great benefits we expect 
to derive from having the Federal City laid off upon our lands, do hereby 
agree and bind ourselves, heirs, executors, and administrators, to convey 
in trust, to the President of the United States, or commissioners, or such 
person or persons as he shall appoint, by good and sufficient deeds, in fee 
simple, the whole of our respective lands which he may think proper to 
include within the lines of the Federal City, for the purposes and on the 
conditions following : 

" The President shall have the sole power of directing the Federal 
City to be laid off in what manner he pleases. 

" He may retain any number of squares he may think proper for 
public improvements or other public uses ; and the lots only, which 
shall be laid off, shall be a joint property between the trustees on 
behalf of the public and each present proprietor; and the same shall 
be fairly and equally divided between the public and the individuals, as 
soon as may be, the city shall be laid off 

" For the streets the proprietors shall receive no compensation, but for 
the squares or lands in any form which shall be taken for public buildings, 
or any kind of public improvements or uses, the proprietors, whose lands 
shall be taken, shall receive at the rate of 25 pounds per acre (sixty-six 
and two-thirds dollars), to be paid by the public." 

Thomas Beall and John Mackall Gantt were named by the President as 
trustees under the agreement, and the lands were conveyed to them. In 
effect the proprietors agreed to give the government all the lands required 
for the highways, and to sell the lands selected for public buildings and 
reservations for twenty-five pounds (Maryland money) per acre. One-half 
of the amount realized at the government sales of lots was also to be paid 
to them. Certain of their lands, after the city had been laid out and the 
public reservations established, were conveyed back to them. 

Twenty years before the capital was located in this district two 
attempts had been made to found hamlets on the eastern bank of the 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

- 



4-i 




1 ' f/ %*?^ ! ~ 




DAVID BURNS' CABIN AND THE VAN NESS MANSION. 



Potomac, a short distance south of Georgetown. 
Jacob Funk, a German farmer, in 1770, had laid 
out a tract he possessed near where the Naval 
Observatory now stands, but had succeeded in getting only a few people 
to settle on his land. The hamlet was called Funkstown at first, and 
afterwards Hamburg, but it was little more than a Southern " four cor- 
ners," and its inhabitants were retired sailors and farmers. About two 
miles below Hamburg, beginning at what is now Greenleaf's Point, and 
extending along the Anacostia or Eastern Branch of the Potomac, Charles 
Carroll, the father of Daniel Carroll, had started a settlement. He had 
surveyed and platted one hundred and sixty acres of land pleasantly 
situated on the river-bank, but as far as can be ascertained, had been 
unable to induce more than a half-dozen families to reside in what he had 
named Carrollsburg. These small settlements were embraced in the area 
selected for the capital of the nation, but they were not encumbrances to 
its location. 

There were nineteen prominent land-owners in the district when it 
was taken by the government and a considerable number of small owners, 
but nothing of consequence can be learned of any of them except David 



42 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



Burns, Daniel Carroll, Notley Young, George Walker, Samuel Davidson, 
and two or three others, and only scanty records of these men have sur- 
vived the passage of time. The houses of Burns and Carroll are standing, 
and are about the only memorials remaining of that by-gone age. Burns 
from all accounts was a coarse, illiterate planter of a surly disposition, and 
hard, obstinate, and selfish in his dealings with his fellows. His plantation 
comprised the land extending from the Potomac near the present site 
of the Washington Monument to what is now New York avenue, and 
covered the square on which the White House and Treasury are located, 
and when his broad acres were platted into " city lots" he became a very 
rich man. His elevation to wealth did not cause him to change his man- 
ner of living, and until his death, in 1799, he continued to occupy the mean 
little cabin on the edge of the river where he had lived all his life. Burns 
was fond of fiery potations, and it has been said that the only change seen 
in him after he had plenty of money was that " he took his bottle to 
Georgetown oftener." 

He had a daughter, Marcia, a lively, beautiful girl, with frank, engag- 
ing manners. She received a good education in Baltimore, and was said 
to have been the only person who could induce " Crusty Davie" to yield 
a particle when he had made up his mind about anything. She was 
born in 1782, and was an only child. All the Burns' estate came into her 
possession when she had reached her majority, and she was looked upon 
as a great matrimonial prize, suitors from far and near seeking her favor. 
She found a husband to her liking in the person of General John P. 
Van Ness, the son of Peter Van Ness, a Hollander and well-to-do farmer 
of Kinderhook, New York. General Van Ness was a member of Con- 
gress when he married Marcia Burns in 
1802, but a year later he was expelled 
from the House of Representatives be- 
cause he had accepted the commission 
of general of the militia of the District 
of Columbia which had been tendered 
him by President Jefferson. He became 
a resident of the district and continued 
so during his long life, taking a leading 
part in its business, political, and social 
affairs, and doing a great deal to advance 
its prosperity. He was mayor of Wash- 
ington in 1830, and held other offices of 
trust and honor. 
marcia uuRNs van ness. Van Ness was a dashing, brilliant, free- 




THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



43 




DUDDINGTON MANOR-HOUSE 



hearted man, could sing well and tell a 
good story, and was a favorite in society. 
He built a fine mansion on the grounds 

where Burns' cabin was and within a few feet of it, and gave grand enter- 
tainments, which were the social sensations of the day. Latrobe, the 
famous architect, constructed the mansion at a cost of $35,000, and laid 
out the grounds after the English style of landscape gardening. Presi- 
dents and statesmen and eminent foreigners were entertained, and the 
proceeds of many a city lot vanished in high living. Mrs. Van Ness 
was a fascinating woman, with a heart full of love and kindness for all 
creatures. She would never allow the old cabin in which her father had 
lived to be removed, and was so little ashamed of it and her humble 
origin that she would frequently invite her distinguished guests to inspect 
its low, narrow rooms. In 181 5 she founded the Washington Orphan 
Asylum, which has been successfully continued to this day. She died in 



44 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

1832, but her husband survived her fourteen years, dying at the age of 
seventy-nine. As there was no direct issue, what was left of the Burns' 
estate passed to collateral heirs. 

Another of the land-owners who acquired wealth was Notley Young, 
a retired English sea-captain, whose estate comprised much of the river 
front below Long Bridge and extended to the centre of the city. He 
leased a large part of his land on good terms, and had a fine revenue 
from the leases. He lived in a spacious brick mansion situated in the 
southern quarter of Washington, on an elevation near the river, and 
around the mansion for a long distance was a beautiful lawn filled with 
beds of flowers and trees with expansive foliage. After his death his 
heirs transferred the building to the government, and it was demolished 
in order to extend a street. 

George Walker and Samuel Davidson were Scotchmen ; and one was 
a farmer and the other a merchant at Georgetown. W T alker's farm com- 
prised about four hundred acres in the northeast quarter of the city, and 
some of it was sold at large prices at first. He erected a fine residence, 
married the daughter of Daniel Craufurd, a wealthy planter of Prince 
George's County, Maryland, and began to live in luxury. He believed 
he could become a millionaire by land speculations, so he mortgaged his 
farm and purchased other lands at fancy prices ; but his lovely young 
wife died ; he became involved in lawsuits with the commissioners, his 
speculations proved disastrous, and he was stripped of the greater part of 
his property. Mourning over blighted hopes and affections he returned 
to Scotland, where he soon after died. 

Davidson closely attended to his little shop at Georgetown and escaped 
the fever of speculation prevailing at the time. His lands ranged over 
what is now the fashionable West End, at that time, and even for seventy 
years afterwards, a dreary, valueless region of marshes and hillocks. He 
owned the land on which Lafayette Park is situated, and had a fierce 
and prolonged contest with the commissioners when they determined to 
reserve it for a park. He desired to have it platted and sold for building 
lots, well knowing that its location, opposite the front of the President's 
House, would enable him to realize a large amount of money. But the 
commissioners were inexorable, and fortunately saved this attractive spot 
for public use. Davidson died in 18 10, and his heir straightway traded 
jthe West End property for land in another section which was never 
worth the taxes upon it. 

The most prominent and also the most unfortunate of all the original 
land-owners was Daniel Carroll, of Duddington Manor, and his career is 
a remarkable exemplification of the truth of the French saying, " The un- 



I HE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



45 




COMMODORE DECATUR'S HOUSE AND TOMB. 



expected always happens." Carroll 
expected to accumulate millions : 
he died almost a pauper. He had 
the largest estate of any of the 
land-owners, and plenty of ready 
money to begin operations with 
when the city sprang into being, 
and was an educated, capable man 
with strong social and political influence. He had labored and schemed 
to have the seat of government fixed on the Potomac, and, as a member of 
the First Congress, made great efforts and used all his family influence to 
accomplish this result. He was one of the first commissioners, and there- 
fore in a position to impel the affairs of the city towards his own interests. 
He was able to have the southeastern quarter of Washington, where his 
lands were situated, made for a time the principal quarter, and also able 
to locate the Capitol on the brow of a hill which he owned. None of the 
other original proprietors started in the race for wealth so thoroughly 
equipped, and none made such a calamitous finish. David Burns, who is 



46 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

said to have been greatly exasperated because the government came to 
disturb his peace and destroy his farm, and who was the longest to hold 
out against the transfer of the lands, died very wealthy. Notley Young, 
Samuel Davidson, and George Walker were raised from limited means 
to affluence, and the other proprietors, or their heirs, reaped a golden 
harvest. But Daniel Carroll, the statesman and polished gentleman, and 
the land-owner who had the greatest expectations, was completely dis- 
tanced in the race by illiterate farmers and fishermen, who had never 
made an effort to secure the location of the capital on their lands. 

At first Carroll's prospects were bright. He sold a portion of his 
estate to speculators for a round sum, partly in promissory notes, which 
were mostly repudiated afterwards, and erected a great brick mansion 
which he called " Duddington," and furnished it in a style of magnificence 
unusual in those days. A sanguine speculator offered him half a million 
dollars for the remainder of his property, but he laughed at the offer and 
named ten times that amount as the price. The hamlet of Carrollsburg, 
which his father had founded, and the spacious fields he had planted 
with corn and wheat, Daniel platted into narrow lots, affixed high prices 
to them, and confidently waited the coming of a throng of purchasers. 
Not content with his own estate, ample as it was, he made speculative in- 
vestments in other city property, gave notes and mortgages, and assumed 
heavy obligations. And then he was too willing to " help a lame dog 
over a stile." He was too good-natured, and could seldom say no when 
embarrassed speculators asked him to endorse their notes or become 
responsible for them. He was but a young man when all this land fever 
was raging, — a rather conceited, showy youth, but with a good brain 
and kind heart, — too kind, indeed, to be a match for the host of sharpers 
who had come from the great cities to the new capital seeking whom 
they might devour. Carroll was ambitious to be an aristocrat after the 
manner of other members of the prolific Maryland family, and he gave 
splendid dinners and balls at Duddington, and with his wife went full 
tilt into the fashionable lists. They wasted a great deal of money in 
entertaining dignitaries and leaders of society, and he lived to see the 
time when the sum he had often carelessly expended for a single enter- 
tainment would have saved him from severe distress. 

The high prices for Carroll's lots on Capitol Hill kept purchasers 
away. Those who wanted land for actual settlement and not for specula- 
tion went into the northwestern section of the city, and made their pur- 
chases of Burns and Young and others for less money, set up their homes 
and stores, and so, after a while, this section became the centre and popu- 
lar part of Washington. Carroll's lots remained on his hands. His taxes 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



47 



were high, and the interest on his obligations was an enormous burden. 
He struggled manfully month after month to stem the current which was 
flowing perilously against him. He transferred his manor-house and the 
square of four acres on which it was situated, to a relative in order to save a 
shelter for his family, and after a desperate effort to retrieve his fortune was 
forced to relax his hold of the great estate, and it passed into other hands. 

Carroll lived until 1849, the last survivor of the original proprietors of 
Washington, long life being granted to him even if riches were denied. 
Latrobe built the " Duddington House" in 1792, and it is now standing in 
good condition. The father of Carroll was a relative of Charles Carroll 
of Carrollton, and Bishop John Carroll, who founded the Georgetown 
College, was Daniel's brother. 

Many other men besides Carroll were ruined in the land speculations 
in the early years of the city, and among the prominent ones were James 
Greenleaf, Samuel Blodget, Thomas Law, and James Lingan. And it is 
not strange that men were ruined, for everybody predicted that this new 
government metropolis would be a great and splendid place in a very short 
time ; that it would have at least 150,000 people in ten years, and probably 
half a million before a third of the nineteenth century had rolled away. 
No prediction was too extravagant for belief; no story of future great- 
ness too romantic to be listened to. Even the sober, sagacious Father 
of his Country was affected by the enthusiasm that prevailed, and wrote 
glowing predictions that have not been fulfilled. Men who owned land, 
or could buy it no matter at what price, were considered sure to be 
wealthy, and those who would not invest in the swamps, hills, and gulleys 
which then consti- 
tuted the principal 
part of the city, were 
looked upon as very 
stupid persons. At 
the government sales 
of lots, which began 
October 17, 1791, and 
continued at short in- 
tervals for a number 
of months, there were 
crowds of speculators 
from different sections 
of the United States, 
and large prices were 
obtained. the president's house in 1800. 




4 8 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




STATUE OF GENERAL NATHANIEL GREENE. 



When the government had secured a considerable sum of money from 
the sales, the erection of the public buildings was begun. The city had 
to be ready for the use of Congress and the government officials in 1800, 
and there was much to be done in a few years. On the 13th of October, 
1792, the corner-stone of the President's House was laid, and on the 18th 
of September, 1793, that of the Capitol. The construction of these im- 
portant buildings was carried forward as rapidly as possible, but there 
were delays at various times on account of a lack of funds. Congress 
made little effort to aid the President in the building operations, and had 
it not been for the gifts and loans made by the States of Maryland and 
Virginia, the work would doubtless have been indefinitely suspended. 
Hardly anything was done to make the city attractive, and when the 
government took possession of it there was nothing to indicate in the 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

49 

" dismal wilderness" that Washington then was that it was ever likely to 
be "a city of unparalleled magnificence," as had been enthusiastically 
predicted. 

No better description of Washington as it appeared in 1800 can be 
given than that written by John Cotton Smith, at that time a member 
of Congress from Connecticut. He wrote : " Our approach to the city 
was accompanied with sensations not easily described. One wing of 
the Capitol only had been erected, which, with the President's House, 
a mile distant from it, both constructed with white sandstone, were 
shining objects in dismal contrast with the scene around them. Instead 
of recognizing the avenues and streets portrayed on the plan of the city, 
not one was visible, unless we except a road, with two buildings on each 
side of it, called the New Jersey avenue. The Pennsylvania avenue, 
leading, as laid down on paper, from the Capitol to the Presidential 
mansion, was nearly the whole distance a deep morass covered with 
elder bushes, which were cut through to the President's House; and 
near Georgetown a block of houses had been erected which bore the 
name of the 'six buildings.' There were also two other blocks con- 
sisting of two or three dwelling-houses in different directions, and now 
and then an insulated wooden habitation; the intervening spaces, and, 
indeed, the surface of the city generally, being covered with scrub-oak 
bushes on the higher grounds, and on the marshy soil either trees or 
some sort of shrubbery. The desolate aspect of the place was not a 
little augmented by a number of unfinished edifices at Greenleaf's 
Point, and on an eminence a short distance from it, commenced by an 
individual whose name they bore, but the state of whose funds com- 
pelled him to abandon them. There appeared to be but two really 
comfortable habitations in all respects within the bounds of the city, 
one of which belonged to Daniel Carroll and the other to Notley Young.' 
The roads in every direction were muddy and unimproved. In short, it 
was a new settlement." 





CHAPTER IV. 

FIRST YEARS OF THE CAPITAL— EVENTS OF INTEREST— THE INVASION BY BRITISH 
TROOPS— ANCIENT SOCIAL LIFE AND CUSTOMS— THE WELCOME TO LAFAYETTE— 
FROM 1830 TO 4861-THE CITY DURING THE CIVIL WAR-LINES OF DEFENCES- 
EARLY'S RAID— DEATH OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN-GRAND REVIEW OF THE UNION 
ARMY— IMPROVEMENT OF THE CITY— GOVERNOR SHEPHERD AND HIS WORK. 

URING the month of October, 1800, the government took pos- 
session of Washington. The arrival of the officials created a 
great excitement among the three thousand inhabitants, many 
of whom had been inclined to credit a current report that the 
government would never leave Philadelphia, where it had been pleasantly 
located for ten years. When the little "packet-sloop," bringing the 
records and furniture of the departments, and some of the officials, was 
seen slowly sailing up the Potomac, most of the people of the city 
gathered on the river-bank and gave the vessel a hearty welcome. On 
the following day the chief officials arrived by stages from Baltimore, and 
within a short time the government was settled in its permanent home. 
John Adams was President ; John Marshall, Secretary of State ; Oliver 
Wolcott, Secretary of the Treasury ; Samuel Dexter, Secretary of War ; 
and Benjamin Stoddert, Secretary of the Navy. The President's House 
was in good condition for occupancy, and the small buildings erected for 
the executive departments were nearly finished. One wing of the Capitol 
was done and ready for Congress, which began its session in November. 

The " wilderness city," as Mrs. Adams called Washington, proved to 
be a very lonesome place to the officials after their agreeable life in 
Philadelphia, and they gave free vent to their feelings of disgust in letters 
which were printed in the newspapers of the prominent cities. Nearly all 
had something to say in derision of" Washington's city on the Potomac." 
It was called "a city of magnificent distances" set in "a mud-hole almost 
equal to the great Serbonian bog." It was said to be " a capital of 
miserable huts," and " a city of streets without houses," and that it did 
not possess " one solitary attractive feature." Those who had opposed its 
location were merry over " its exceedingly mean and disgusting appear- 

5i 



52 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




THE "GREAT HOTEL" IN 1793. 



ance," apparently forgetting that Congress had given scant aid to the 
commissioners in the work of construction, and had left them to depend 
for money almost entirely o-n chance gifts and the proceeds of the land 
sales. When one reads the record of the vexatious delays in erecting the 
public buildings and improving the highways for lack of means, of the 
quarrels among those in authority, of the jealousy and opposition con- 
stantly displayed, the wonder is not that the capital city was a mean, 
dismal place in i8oo and only fitted to be the laughing-stock of the 
country, but that its builders should have been able in the face of the 
obstacles they encountered to make it bear the slightest semblance to a 
city. 

Satire and opposition could not prevent the city from growing. Its 
growth was very slow compared to what had been expected, but it was 
sure and steady for a number of years. In 18 10 it had a population of 
8208, and in 1820 a population of 13,474. By this time the extravagant 
expectations of its friends had subsided, but the opposition of its enemies 
continued without abatement. All through its early years it was obliged 
to meet the sneers of Congress, the sarcasm of Northern writers, and the 
general indifference of the American people, who never seemed to care 
what manner of city it became. 

Jonathan Elliot, who wrote more than fifty years ago the first really 
good account of the city, says in his little book, " President Jefferson did 
much to further the prosperity of the city by procuring grants of money 
for carrying on the public buildings ; he also gave encouragement to all 
the improvements brought forward during his administration. He caused 
Pennsylvania avenue to be opened and planted with trees. President 
Madison was also friendly to the city, but owing to restrictions on com- 
merce and the subsequent war during his administration little progress 
was made in the public works. But it was in the administration of 
President Monroe that the most extensive and valuable improvements 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



53 



were made in every part of the city, and the public money expended on 
the national works with the greatest liberality." 

Mr. Elliot gives also an interesting statement of the receipts and 
expenditures of the government on account of the city up to 1820, in 
order, as he says, " to correct a prevailing error that the city has been and 
continues to be a burden to the United States." He gives the receipts as 
follows : " From lots sold by the United States, $700,000 ; donations from 
the States of Maryland and Virginia, $192,000; value of 5150 building 
lots averaging 5000 feet each, at 6^ cents per foot, $1,509,375 ; five hun- 
dred and forty-one acres of reserved grounds, distributed in such manner 
as to give the government possession of the most beautiful parts of the 
city, estimated at 10 cents per foot, $2,356,596; free-stone quarry, wharves, 
and water lots, $40,000; total, $4,898,971." The expenditures for the 
public buildings, etc., are given at $1,214,286, which would leave a large 
balance in favor of the city. 

Congress assumed the jurisdiction of the District of Columbia in 1801. 
On May 3, 1802, an act of incorporation was granted to the city of Wash- 
ington, which allowed the citizens to elect a city council, but put the 
appointment of the mayor in the hands of the President. As there was 
much dissatisfaction with this method of choosing the executive, Congress, 
in a few years, gave the people the right to elect their mayor. The 
municipal form of government was continued until 1 871, when Congress 
repealed the city charter and established a territorial government, which 
remained until 1874, when three commissioners were appointed to have 
charge of the district. The government by commissioners under the 

supervision of Congress, which was 
the original plan adopted, has been 
continued to the present time. 




LONG BRIDGE. 



c 4 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

In the first decade of the city the officials of the government numbered 
only about one hundred persons, and the annual appropriation for the civil 
service was less than half a million dollars, not enough to pay the daily 
expenses of the host of people who now perform the government work. 
The President received a salary of $25,000, and the Vice-President, 
S5000. The annual cost of Congress was about $150,000, now it costs 
33,000,000. The expenses of the Treasury Department were $55,000; 
of the Department of State, $6300 ; of the War and Navy Departments, 
$11,000. There were six justices of the Supreme Court, and the Chief 
Justice received $4000, and the associates, $3500 each. The pension list 
only amounted to $6000 a year, now it is $60,000,000. Truly those 
were the days of small things. 

Before the government removed to Washington several hotels were 
established in the centre of the city, the largest of which was the " Union 
Pacific Hotel," or, as it was more commonly called, the " Great Hotel." 
It was erected in 1793 by Samuel Blodget, on the square now occupied 
by the Post-Office Department, but as he lost all his money in land specu- 
lations, he disposed of the great brick building by means of a lottery. It 
was not entirely finished until the government purchased it, in 18 10, for 
the post-office and patent-office. The Thirteenth Congress held a session 
in it after the Capitol had been destroyed by the British, and on December 
15, 1836, it was burned to the ground, the government losing by the fire 
all its collections of patent models which had been accumulating for many 
years. 

There was also a "Little Hotel," erected in 1795, which had a good 
deal of popularity. The most popular hotel, however, was the " Metro- 
politan Hotel," which stood in the square on Pennsylvania avenue 
where the present hotel of the same name now stands. In 1820 its 
name was changed to " Indian Queen Hotel," and for a long time after 
it bore this name. In front of it was a huge swinging sign with a gaudy 
picture of Pocahontas. The landlord was named Jesse Brown, and he 
was known far and near for his ability as a caterer. His prices were 
low, — " one dollar per day for meals with liquors, and twenty-five cents 
for lodgings," — and his table was always bountifully spread. It is stated 
that " the old bell that rang for meals could be heard over an extensive 
portion of the city." The hotel was a favorite with Congressmen, and 
many of the prominent ones boarded there during the first part of the 
century. 

Before the British invasion a newspaper was published called the 
National Intelligencer, and it was continued up to quite a recent date. 
There was some pleasant social life in the little, struggling city, and a 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



55 




OLD WAR DEPARTMENT BUILDING. 



writer of that period says, " the inhabitants are social and hospitable, 
and respectable strangers, after the slightest introduction, are invited to 
dinner, tea, balls, and evening parties." The high officials gave recep- 
tions as they do now, and the leading families had " grand balls in the 
winter at which every species of luxury was exhibited." When the 
destruction of the city was threatened by the British, in the summer 
of 1814, there was "a great running to and fro" of its people. Some 
fled at once with their household goods into Virginia ; others brought 
forth ancient fire-arms and joined the militia companies which were 
being hastily organized to meet the invaders. The government sus- 
pended its business, and officials and clerks enrolled themselves in the 
ranks of the defenders of the capital. 

In a letter written by an army officer in 1 8 14 is the following 
account of the condition of affairs in Washington a few days previous to 
its occupation by the British. He says, " I arrived in the city on Sunday, 
the 2 1st of August. At that time the officers of the government and the 
citizens were very apprehensive of an attack from the British, who had 
landed a force on the Patuxent. It was stated they numbered from 
4000 to 16,000. On Sunday the public officers were engaged in pack- 
ing and sending off their books and the citizens their furniture, and on 
Monday this was continued, and many families left the city. The specie 
was removed from all the banks in the district. General Winder, who 
was in command of the American force, was stationed southeast of the 



56 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



city, at a point called Wood's, with 2000 men, and it was reported he 
would receive reinforcements of 10,000 in a week. In the expectation 
that there was a very considerable force collected, President Madison, 
accompanied by the Secretaries of War and Navy, left the city for the 
camp. They arrived there late that night, and the next morning, finding 
but 3000 men had gathered, they returned to the city to make further 
arrangements. All the books and papers of the government were sent 
off, and the citizens generally left the place." 

The British troops, commanded by General Ross, marched across 
Maryland to within five miles of Washington. Here, at the little town 
of Bladensburg, they found their march stopped by a force of about 
7000 militia in command of General Winder. After a very brief 
engagement they dispersed Winder's force, which fled pell-mell in 
every direction, and then they gave battle to a few hundred sailors 
with cannon who were holding a hill on the turnpike to Washington. 
The sailors were commanded by Commodore Joshua Barney, a priva- 
teersman, and they did about all the fighting that was done by the 
Americans. They held their ground for some time, gallantly contest- 
ing the advance of the enemy, but at last were overpowered and forced 
to .flee toward the city. Barney was wounded and made a prisoner, 
but General Ross so admired his bravery that he treated him with 
great respect. 

After a short rest the British took up their march for Washington, 
and arrived on the eastern grounds of the Capitol early in the evening 
of August 21. The soldiers fired volleys into the windows of the build- 
ing, and then marched into the wing used by the House of Represen- 
tatives. General Ross escorted Admiral Cockburn, of the British naval 
force, to the Speaker's chair amid laughter and cheers from the officers 
and men. Cockburn called the assemblage to order, and shouted, " Shall 
this harbor of Yankee Democracy be burned ? All for it say aye !" A 
ringing shout went up, and the motion was declared " unanimously car- 
ried." Again and again the soldiers cried, " Fire the building !" " Fire 
the building !" and after consultation with his officers General Ross gave 
the order. A search was made for combustible material, and soon all the 
books and pictures in the Congressional Library were piled in heaps on 
the floor of the Hall of Representatives, and a lighted torch was applied 
to them. Quickly the flames spread through the Capitol, and in half an 
hour it was in ruins. The soldiers marched to the President's House 
and fired that, and also the other public buildings. They plundered and 
burned stores and houses, destroyed the workshops in the navy-yard and 
the fort at Greenleaf's Point, and in various ways did a great deal of 



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57 



damage to the city. They remained until the next night, when taking an 
alarm they hastily retreated, " without the beat of a drum or the sound of 
a bugle," to Marlboro', and in a few days went aboard their ships, which 
were lying off Alexandria, and sailed down the river. The loss to the 
government by the invasion was over two million dollars, and the loss 
to the citizens of Washington was about half a million. Nearly one 
hundred Americans were killed and wounded. 




DEFENCES OF WASHINGTON DURING THE CIVIL WAR 



-g THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

After the invasion the " capital movers," as those members of Con- 
gress were called who were ever seeking to have the seat of government 
transferred to some other place, tried to prevent any appropriation from 
being made to restore the public buildings. It was said " they were 
secretly glad the British had burned the buildings, thus giving plausibility 
to the arguments for rebuilding elsewhere without sacrificing the cost of 
what had been built." There were exciting debates in Congress in regard 
to the matter, and for a time it seemed as if the Potomac would lose the 
national capital; but in February, 1815, a bill was passed authorizing the 
Secretary of the Treasury to borrow $500,000 at 6 per cent, for the pur- 
pose of rebuilding the public edifices. Private enterprise under the in- 
spiration of this decision was awakened, and during the next ten years 
Washington began to be a good deal more than " a city of streets without 
houses." 

General Lafayette was welcomed to the city on Tuesday, October 12, 
1824. Upon his arrival a salute was fired, and he was escorted to a 
barouche, which was decorated with the French colors and drawn by four 
gray horses led by grooms in white livery. A procession composed of 
military companies and civic societies, and which was two miles in length, 
marched over the city with the honored guest, and throngs of people 
lined the way. Arches with banners, mottoes, and floral designs were 
placed here and there over the streets, and on the largest arch was a huge 
live eagle, which is said to have bent its head and flapped its wings when 
Lafayette passed beneath. At a certain point the hero was met by a 
chariot containing twenty-five handsome maidens dressed in white muslin 
and blue scarfs, and with wreaths of red flowers on their heads, intended 
to represent the twenty-four States and the District of Columbia. The 
little maid who represented the district spoke a few words of welcome, 
and then there were addresses by the mayor and other persons, to all of 
which Lafayette responded in a pleasant manner. After the municipal 
reception he visited the Capitol, where he was welcomed as the " nation's 
guest" by Henry Clay, then Speaker of the House of Representatives ; 
and also visited the White House, where President Monroe greeted him 
affectionately. During his stay of two weeks he was lavishly entertained 
by prominent families of Washington and Georgetown. 

Many of the descriptions of Washington written at this period are 
amusing. One writer says, "Conceive, then, a daddy-long-legs whose 
body is scarcely visible, while his legs shoot out in all directions and are 
everywhere seen, and you will have a conception of this metropolis. It 
is no more like New York or Philadelphia than ' Hyperion to a Satyr.' 
The streets are filled with mud in winter and with dust in summer ; and 



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59 



instead of splendid edifices you can see nothing but corn-fields, arid 
plains, dry canals, and dirty marshes, where frogs croak in most sonorous 
strain. The citizens build houses where there are no streets, and the 
corporation makes streets where there are no houses." 

Another writer draws this picture of society : " The first thino- that 
strikes a stranger is the affectation of style and fashion which seems to 
pervade almost every rank and class. The President opens his drawing- 
room every fort- 
night for reception 
of such as may 
please to visit him ; 
and his cabinet sec- 
retaries give dinners 
and evening parties 
during the session 
of Congress. The 
subordinate officers 
of the government, 
clerks, etc., also fol- 
low the example, 
and although their 
salaries are small 
and their means 




OLD FORTIFICATIONS AS THEY APPEAR TO-DAY. 



6o THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

limited, they fancy it would be unpardonable not to ape those above 
them and be what is called fashionable, and thus they plunge into the 
vortex of ruin. They give evening parties, pay morning visits with 
cards in their own carriages, or any they can procure, give routs, go to 
assemblies, and, in short, exhibit every folly their superiors think proper 
to practice because it is said to be hant ton, and they cannot think of 
being unfashionable, whatever may be the result." 

Every one who lived in what was called the " court end" of the city 
kept a carriage of some kind, and it was said " many persons would even 
ride to church when the distance was not more than a hundred paces." 
Members of Congress were in great request for all the parties, and the 
prominent ones could not accept half the invitations they received. Out- 
side of its fashionable life, however, the city was apparently in " a long, 
dead calm of fixed repose," and its development year by year was very 
slow. It was not until 1830 that Pennsylvania avenue, the central 
thoroughfare, was paved, and then it was done cheaply and badly. 
There were only two small public schools. On August 25, 1835, the 
Washington branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was opened, but 
it was as late as 185 1 that stages to the West ceased to run. In 1836 
the Long Bridge across the Potomac to Virginia was opened, and has 
continued in use to the present day. It was constructed at a cost of 
$100,000, and is a mile in length. 

In 1840 the city had 23,364 people. On the 1st of March, 1844, a 
terrible catastrophe occurred. A large party of officials and prominent 
residents visited the war-ship " Princeton," lying off Alexandria, and 
sailed in her a short distance down the river. On the return trip a cannon 
burst while being fired, killing Secretary of State Upshur, Secretary of 
the Navy Gilmer, and three other persons, and seriously injuring eighteen 
others. From 1840 to 1850 the gain in population was nearly 17,000; 
from 1850 to i860, over 21,000. The census of the latter year shows a 
city population of 61,122, and in the entire District of Columbia, 75,080. 
Washington entered upon the trying years of the Civil War a very unat- 
tractive place. Those who had business with the government came to 
the city, looked with surprise and contempt at its muddy, unpaved streets 
and rude, insignificant private buildings, and went away as soon as pos- 
sible. It was a capital sprawling over a great territory, but remarkable 
only for its distances and discomforts and its listless daily life. 

When the war began the city was without defences, and a plan was 
at once adopted for protection against distant artillery fire. On the night 
of May 23, 1 861, three columns crossed the Potomac into Virginia, one at 
the Georgetown aqueduct bridge, one at Long Bridge, and one at Alex- 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




FORD'S THEATRE, WHERE LINCOLN WAS SHOT. 



andria, and the next morning work was begun on several fortifications. 
In seven weeks the line of defences consisted of Forts Corcoran, Bennett, 
and Haggerty for the protection of Georgetown ; Forts Ruriyon and 
Albany covering Long Bridge, and Fort Ellsworth on Shuter's hill, near 
Alexandria. Immediately after the battle of Bull Run a second line was 
constructed to fortify Arlington heights, which included Forts Craig, 
Tillinghast, Cass, Woodbury, Richardson, and Strong; and Forts Worth, 
Ward, and Lyon were added to the defences of Alexandria. About this 
time a line of forts was constructed along the northwestern and eastern- 
parts of the District of Columbia, consisting of Fort Reno on the heights 
of Tennallytown, Fort Stevens on the Seventh-street road, and Forts 
Gaines, De Russey, Slocum, Totten, Bunker Hill, Saratoga, Slemmer, 
Thayer, and Lincoln, the latter overlooking the Anacostia. Three small 
forts, Kirby, Cross, and Davis, afterwards united under the name of Fort 
Sumner, were constructed on the heights near the receiving reservoir of 
the Washington aqueduct. Beyond the Anacostia, the defences were 
Forts Stanton, Greble, Carroll, and Mahan, to which Forts Meigs, Dupont, 



6 2 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

Baker, Wagner, Ricketts, and Snyder were added in the latter part of 
1862. At Chain bridge there were Forts Ethan Allen and Marcy. 

Additions were made to the lines of defences from time to time, until, 
in the spring of 1863, there were south of the Potomac thirty-four forts 
and armed batteries with 426 guns and 60 mortars, and thirty-eight un- 
armed batteries for 205 guns. North of the Potomac there were forty- 
three forts and armed batteries with 384 guns and 38 mortars, and thirty- 
six unarmed batteries for 175 guns. The forts were all built of earth, 
rammed to the utmost degree of solidity attainable, the walls being from 
twenty to twenty-five feet thick at the base, and from twelve to eighteen 
feet thick on the parapets. The outside ditch was generally about six 
feet deep, and a few feet in front of the counterscarp, or outside of the 
ditch, a glacis was thrown up so as to bring the ground in front within 
the plane of musketry fire from the parapets, and on this glacis a strong 
abattis of pointed brush and timber was laid and secured, extending 
entirely around each fort. Inside magazines were dug, and bomb-proofs 
constructed of hewed logs, each being covered on the exposed side with 
from twelve to fifteen feet of rammed earth. 

These fortifications and batteries, with their green sod walls and 
yawning embrasures, from which the black muzzles of huge guns peered 
out menacingly upon every exposed height, were the most prominent and 
suggestive features of the landscape as one approached Washington from 
any direction during the latter years of the war. To-day, of all these 
defences, only a few mounds of earth remain. 

Throughout the war there was a constant fear that Washington might 
be invaded by the Confederates, but no really serious attempt was ever 
made. General Early made a dash at the city in 1864, but it has always 
been believed that the real object of it was to draw troops from the lines 
in front of Richmond. He Crossed the upper Potomac into Maryland 
with 12,000 men, and on the 9th of July engaged a small force under 
General Wallace at Frederick City. After defeating Wallace he marched 
to Rockville, sixteen miles from Washington, and camped there on the 
night of the 10th. General Grant sent two divisions of the Sixth Corps 
under General Wright, from Petersburg, to aid in the protection of Wash- 
ington, and they arrived on the nth. Early's skirmish line advanced 
toward the city as far as Fort Stevens, on the Seventh-street road, on the 
morning of the nth, but the guns of the fort and of Forts Slocum and 
De Russey opened rapid fire, and the advance was checked for a time. 
Late in the afternoon the Sixth Corps arrived. Early's pickets had been 
firing all day and shouting to the men in the forts, " Come out here, you 
quill-drivers and bummers, and take your dose like men!" But when 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



63 



they saw the well-known and greatly respected -Greek cross, they ceased 
their taunts and yelled, " Hello, old Sixth Corps ! where in thunder did 
you come from ?" " Come from Richmond ! What are you Johnnies 
doing here ?" was the reply. " Oh, Early's brought a lot of wooden fur- 
loughs for your bummers, but they won't come out and take 'em." 

On the 1 2th, after a good deal of picket-firing and manoeuvring, 
General Wheaton's brigade of the Sixth Corps engaged the Confederate 
skirmish line and drove it back, after what has been called " a pretty little 
fight," which was witnessed by President Lincoln from Fort Stevens. 
The next morning the Confederates had disappeared, and it was ascer- 
tained that Early had crossed the river into Virginia. 

The close of the war was celebrated on the night of April 13, 1865, 
by a grand illumination of Washington, which exceeded any previous 
demonstration ever witnessed in the city. The Capitol, White House, 
Treasury, and all the other pub- 



lic buildings were covered with 
decorations and illuminated by 
thousands of lights, and the 
greater number of the private 
buildings were also decorated 
and illuminated. President Lin- 
coln made a speech to a great 
assemblage in front of the White 
House, in which he congratu- 
lated the country on the return of 
peace. Bands of music paraded 
the streets, and the jubilation 
was continued nearly all night. 

The next night, Friday, April 
14, President Lincoln was assas- 
sinated at Ford's Theatre on 
Tenth street, 
by John Wilkes 
Booth. The 
theatre was 
crowded, and 
all present were 
enjoying the 
performance of 
the comedy, 
"OurAmerican 



(\ 




HOUSE WHERE LINCOLN 
DIED. 



6 4 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



Cousin." During the third act, while there was a temporary pause for 
one of the actors to enter, a sharp report of a pistol was heard, but 
it attracted no special attention and suggested nothing serious until a 
man rushed to the front of the box in which the President was seated 
with Mrs. Lincoln and two other persons, leaped to the stage with a 
long bowie-knife in his hand, and shouted, " Sic semper tyrannis ! The 
South is avenged!" The audience sat spell-bound for a moment, while 
the assassin disappeared behind the scenes. The piercing screams of 
Mrs. Lincoln first disclosed that the President had been shot, and the 
audience rose to their feet in wild alarm, many persons rushing toward 
the stage exclaiming, " Hang the assassin !" " Hang him !" while others 
stood around the President's box petrified with horror. Booth had 
entered the box a few minutes before ten o'clock, and approaching the 
President from behind, had placed a pistol at the back of his head and 
fired. The President's head fell forward, his eyes closed, and he became 
unconscious. He was removed to a house nearly opposite the theatre, 
but never regained consciousness, dying the following morning at a few 
minutes past seven o'clock, surrounded by his wife and family and promi- 
nent officials. 

At nearly the same time that the President was shot an attempt was 
made on the life of Secretary of State Seward at his residence, and he 
was seriously injured by a knife in the hands of an assassin, but subse- 
quently recovered. Afterwards it appeared that a plot had been formed 
to murder all the principal officials of the government. 

The news of the shooting of President Lincoln created the most intense 
excitement in the city, and on all sides were heard the strongest expres- 
sions of sorrow and indignation. Many wept bitterly, and the colored 
people were frantic with grief and dismay. All the public buildings were 
closed and covered with emblems of mourning, and hundreds of residences 
and places of business were profusely draped. The body of the President 
lay in state in the rotunda of the Capitol on April 20, and was viewed by 
thousands. The following day the funeral train left the city, bearing the 
body to Springfield, Illinois, where it was interred. 

Booth mounted a fleet horse and made his way across the Anacostia 
to eastern Maryland, and thence over the Potomac. He was discovered 
about four o'clock on the morning of April 26 in a barn near Port Royal, 
Virginia, by a detachment of the Sixteenth New York Cavalry. He 
refused to surrender and was shot by Sergeant Boston Corbett, and died 
about three hours afterwards. His associates in the conspiracy were 
tried by a military commission, and four of them were executed. The 
remaining four were sentenced to hard labor at the Dry Tortugas, 



66 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

where one died, and the others were subsequently pardoned by President 
Johnson. 

The grand review of the Union Army on the 23d and 24th of May, 
1865, completed the events of interest in Washington during the war 
period. On the first day the Army of the Potomac passed in review, and 
on the second day the Army of the Tennessee and the Army of Georgia. 
It was estimated that more than fifty thousand people from all the North- 
ern States witnessed the review. The city was profusely decorated, and 
at all the prominent points there were arches, banners, and floral embel- 
lishments. In front of the White House were four stands decorated with 
battle-flags and flowers. The principal stand contained President Johnson 
and the cabinet ministers, General Grant, General Sherman, and promi- 
nent military and civil officers. In another stand were governors of the 
States and distinguished personages. 

The troops marched from Virginia across the Potomac to Capitol Hill 
the night before, and early on the morning of the review. Promptly at 
9 o'clock on the 23d the Army of the Potomac, under the command of 
Major-General Meade, began the march. All the school-children of the 
city with their teachers were assembled on the eastern portico and grounds 
of the Capitol, the girls dressed in white muslin, and the boys in black 
jackets and white pants, and as the soldiers passed greeted them with 
songs and cheers and garlands. Down the hill came the war veterans 
on to the broad Pennsylvania avenue, filled for a mile away with cheering 
throngs. First in line was General Meade, riding a few paces ahead of 
his escort, and the headquarters division. Then came the Cavalry Corps, 
commanded by Major-General Merritt; the Provost-Marshal-General's 
Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Macy; and the Engineer Bri- 
gade, commanded by Brigadier-General Benham. Following these were 
the Ninth Corps, in command of Major-General Parke ; a division of the 
Nineteenth Corps, in command of Brigadier-General Dwight; the Fifth 
Corps, in command of Major-General Griffin ; and the Second Corps, in 
command of Major-General Humphreys. The artillery followed each 
corps, and the column moved by companies closed in mass, with shortened 
intervals between regiments, brigades, and divisions. For the sake of 
uniformity the company front of the whole army was limited to twenty 
files, the soldiers taking the cadence step up the avenue. 

It would be well nigh impossible to describe the enthusiasm that pre- 
vailed during the march.. All through the day the troops passed by with 
their tattered flags, their odd-looking camp utensils, their pet animals and 
negro followers. The " boys" were clad in faded and soiled uniforms, for 
there had been no " brushing up" for the review, as it was intended to 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



6 7 




ALEXANDER R. SHEPHERD. 



allow the world to see the army ; *st as it appeared in actual service. As 
they passed cheer after cheer rolled along the avenue. Each commanding 
officer received a perfect ovation ; each soldier, almost, was greeted with 
joyful shouts. Flowers in all forms were rained on the defenders of the 
Union, and officers and men in many cases were burdened with them. 
General Custer's division of the Cavalry Corps all wore the celebrated 
" Custer tie," — a red scarf about the neck, with the ends hanging down 
the breast nearly to the belt. When the division was passing the Presi- 
dent's stand, a thrill ran through the vast crowd as General Custer was 
seen with a large wreath hanging upon his arm, his scabbard empty, and 
his long yellow hair waving in the wind, vainly striving to check a mag- 
nificent stallion, which was madly sweeping up the avenue. On came the 
horse with furious speed, thousands of people watching him with breath- 
less suspense, which was soon followed by storms of applause at the 
horsemanship of the General as he mastered the frightened animal and 
gracefully rode back along the line. 

On the second day there was a repetition of the grand scenes as 
Sherman's army marched in review. When General Sherman appeared 
at the head of the column tumultuous cheers went up. Leading the 
march was the Army of the Tennessee, in command of Major-General 
Logan. It included the Fifteenth Corps, undeV Major-General Hazen, 
and the Seventeenth Corps, under Major-General Blair. Afterwards came 
the Army of Georgia, in command of Major-General Slocum. This in- 



6S THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

eluded the Twentieth Corps, under Major-General Mower, and the Four- 
teenth Corps, under Major-General Davis. After the review the soldiers 
marched to their camps over the Potomac, and in a few weeks the vast 
army was disbanded. 

It was not until 187 1 that Washington began to be a beautiful city. 
The movement for improving it was started by Alexander R. Shepherd, 
who afterwards became governor of the district under the territorial form 
of government established by Congress. The common saying is that 
" Shepherd lifted Washington out of the mud," and it is undoubtedly true 
that to him the credit is due for the beginning and successful continuing 
of the vast improvements made in all parts of the city within a few 
years after 1871. Shepherd was a man of indomitable will, and he had 
determined that the National Capital should no longer be a comfortless, 
repulsive place, but that it should become a metropolis in fact as well 
as in name, and an object of pride and admiration to the people of the 
country. He secured the friendship of President Grant, and awakened 
Congress to an interest in the affairs of Washington. He gained support 
in his plans from some of the prominent citizens, and he induced capital- 
ists in the Northern cities to invest in the district bonds. Congress passed 
a bill to abolish the old municipal government, putting in place of it a 
territorial government, with a governor and legislature. The Board of 
Public Works was organized, with Shepherd at its head, and the work 
of improvement was begun. An army of laborers was set to work to 
grade and pave the streets and avenues, to cut down and remove banks 
and obstructions, to reconstruct the sidewalks, to cover over the old 
canal, which had long been a nuisance, to set out thousands of trees, to 
develop the parks, squares, and circles, to build sewers and lay water- 
pipes, and to do many other things which would improve and beautify 
the city. 

In a few years an almost incredible amount of work had been done. 
The old slovenly city had nearly disappeared. Fine business buildings 
and residences, churches and school-houses, new markets, new hotels, 
were erected. Shepherd's will was law, and his fierce energy pervaded 
everything. At least twenty-five millions were expended in the improve- 
ments, and the result was that Washington, after three-quarters of a 
century, became what had been predicted of it when it was founded, — 
a magnificent capital. 




CHAPTER V. 

PRESENT APPEARANCE OF WASHINGTON— HOW L'ENFANT'S PLAN WAS DEVELOPED— 
THE FOUR QUARTERS OF THE CITY— THE STREETS AND AVENUES— MEMORIAL 
STATUARY IN THE PARKS, SQUARES, AND CIRCLES— CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS— 
THE MARKET SYSTEM— FACTS RELATING TO THE POPULATION, BUSINESS, AND 
GOVERNMENT. 

HE District of Columbia covers an area of sixty-four square 
miles, and is bounded on the north, east, and south by the 
State of Maryland, and on the west by the Potomac river. 
The city of Washington is located on the river front of the 
district, and extends over a broad, irregular valley up to the edges of a 
range of thickly-wooded hills. From northwest to southeast it is about 
five miles in extent, and from east to southwest about three miles. The 
actual territory embraced within the city boundary is a trifle less than 
ten square miles. The southwestern section borders on the Potomac, 
which at this point is 116^ miles above its mouth at Chesapeake bay, 
and iS4}4 miles from the Atlantic ocean, and the eastern section bor- 
ders on the Anacostia or Eastern Branch of the Potomac. Few cities 
of the United States are so beautifully situated, and few have so many 
charming scenes. The national capital has become very attractive, and 
its residents have a just pride in its beauty and remarkable development. 

Washington grows at a very rapid rate. By the census of 1880 the 
population was given at 147,307, and with the addition of Georgetown, 
1 now West Washington, 159,885. At the present time the population is 
estimated at 210,000, and in the Congressional season at 10,000 more. 
The city is laid out in such a manner that it has space for half a million 
people without crowding, and it is the belief that it will have this num- 
ber within twenty years. The social attractions of the city are so great 
that people of wealth, culture, and refinement go to it in great numbers 
from all parts of the country, and many of them are induced by the genial 
climate and pleasant conditions of living to become permanent residents. 
L'Enfant's magnificent plan has been properly developed, and in conse- 
quence Washington to-day is one of the grandest cities in the world in 
70 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



71 




PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE AT ELEVENTH STREET. 



/ 



its arrangement of streets and avenues, squares, parks, and public reser- 
vations. All the thoroughfares are very broad, clean, and delightfully- 
shaded in summer by a large variety of fine trees, and the majority of the 
streets and avenues are paved with concrete or asphalt. In its architec- 
tural appearance the city is fast assuming a unique and distinctive charac- 
ter. Its private buildings are notable for elegance and diversity of design, 
and many of its mansions are models of beauty. It is a city of brick and 
marble and stone, artistically employed, and it has little of the architec- 
turaLrnon oton y of most large ■ ities. 

Within the city limits there are 61 11 acres, and more than one-half 
of this amount, or 3095 acres, is devoted to public uses. There are 408^ 
acres of government reservations, 107 streets, with an aggregate length 
of 279 miles, and 21 avenues named after various States. The streets 
cx'.end from north to south and from east to west, and the avenues cross 
them diagonally. The Capitol marks the centre of the city, and all the 
streets are laid out at right angles from it. 

There are four distinct quarters of the city. The northwest quarter is 
trie most popular and has the largest number of people. It comprises 
:he business centre, and has the majority of the finest streets. It contains 
the White House, the Treasury, the department buildings, the theatres, 
,eading hotels and mercantile establishments, and the greater number of 



72 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

the churches, schools, and institutions. In that portion of it known as 
the " West End" are the artistic and costly mansions for which the city 
is famous. The southwest quarter comprises the harbor region, and con- 
tains brick, stone, and lumber yards and manufacturing concerns, and 
also many streets of stores and residences. The northeast quarter has the 
smallest population and is the least developed. The southeast quarter 
covers Capitol Hill, and it is fast becoming a populous section. It was 
here that the founders of Washington believed the majority of the resi- 
dences would be located, but the tide of population flowed toward the 
northwest quarter, and for many years Capitol Hill was mostly vacant 
land. Now, however, it has a considerable population and numerous fine 
residences. 

Throughout the city the streets and avenues are from 130 to 160 feet 
in width and have very broad sidewalks. In front of most the houses 
is a grass plat or garden, and beyond this is the sidewalk. There are 
eighty thousand shade-trees on the streets and avenues, planted within 
ten years, and as soon as a street is properly graded trees about thirty 
feet apart are set out. In a few years the boughs of the trees on many 
of the streets will almost touch, and Washington in the vernal season 
will be a perfect forest of shade-trees. Most of the trees now give a good 
deal of shade and a measureless amount of beauty. Carolina poplars, 
maples, elms, and twenty other varieties are planted, and all the trees 
receive great attention from the park commission. 

Pennsylvania avenue is the great central thoroughfare. Its entire 
length is four and one-half miles, but the Treasury breaks its continuity 
at one point and the Capitol at another. From the Treasury, at Fifteenth 
(street, it stretches in majesty to the Capitol, a distance of nearly a mile 
Vand a half. Over this course its entire roadway is 160 feet in width. 
It is paved throughout with concrete, and ' considered the finest avenue 
in the world. Massachusetts and Connecticut avenues, which traverse 
the fashionable West End, are broad, long, and beautiful, and most of 
the other avenues are remarkable for their length ty With 

Pennsylvania avenue the prominent business localities are 1, Ninth, 

and F streets. 

Extending from the Botanical Garden, at the foot of Capitol 
to Fifteenth street is a broad park, or series of parks, known as the 
Mall. On it are located the buildings of the Fish Commission, National 
Museum, Smithsonian Institution, and Department of Agriculture. The 
improvement of the Potomac flats, now in progress, will add about iooo 
acres to the Mall and extend it to the river in completed form. There 
will then be in the centre of the city a continuous park with sh; 






74 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



roadways for nearly two miles, and which will have an extensive river 
frontage. 

On Pennsylvania avenue, opposite the White House, Lafayette Park 
is situated. It is a government reservation of about seven acres, with 
many ancient trees, beautiful lawns, and flower-beds. Each spring a large 
number of flowering plants are set out here, and many rare varieties of 
foreign growth are included. In this park stands an equestrian statue 
of General Andrew Jackson, by Clark Mills. It was cast from brass can- 
non and mortars captured during Jackson's campaigns, and cost nearly 
$50,000. Around its white marble pedestal are mounted field-pieces of 
antique fashion and piles of cannon-balls. The statue was unveiled 
January 8, 1853, Hon. Stephen A. Douglas delivering the oration. 

Franklin Park, which comprises four acres, is located between Thir- 
teenth and Fourteenth streets west and I and K streets north. It is a 
very pretty small park, and has a large fountain in its centre. 

Lincoln Park is laid out in the square at the intersection of East 
Capitol street with several avenues, and is a mile east of the Capitol. It 
is six and one-quarter acres in extent. Here is the famous bronze group 
designated as " Emancipation," which was designed by Thomas Ball, and 
cast in Munich in 1875. It stands on a granite pedestal, upon which are 
two bronze tablets, the one on the front being inscribed <r Freedom's 
Memorial. In grateful memory of Abraham Lincoln this monument 
was erected by the Western Sanitary Commission of St. Louis, Mo., with 
funds contributed solely by emancipated citizens of the United States 
declared free by his proclamation, January 1, a.d. 1863. The first con- 
tribution of five dollars was made by Charlotte Scott, a freed woman of 
Virginia, being her first earnings in freedom, and consecrated by her 
suggestion and request on the day she heard of President Lincoln's death 
to build a monument to his memory." 

On the other tablet is this extract from the Emancipation Procla- 
mation : "And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice 
warranted by the Constitution upon military necessity, I invoke the con- 
siderate judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of Almighty God." 

The memorial represents Abraham Lincoln standing at a monolith, on 
which is a medallion of Washington with shields and stars. In his right 
hand he holds the proclamation of emancipation, and his left is extended 
over a negro whose manacles are broken. The group is twelve feet high 
and the pedestal ten feet. The bronze work cost $17,000. The ceremony 
of dedication took place on April 14, 1876, in the presence of a vast 
assemblage. Hon. Frederick Douglass was the orator. 

The squares and circles are attractive features of Washington. Scott 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



7$ 



Square, at the intersection of Massachusetts and Rhode Island avenues, 
Sixteenth and N streets, contains an equestrian statue of General Winfield 
Scott, which was erected in 1874. It was modelled by H. K. Brown, and 
cast in Philadelphia from cannon captured in Mexico. Its total height is 
fifteen feet, and its cost was $20,000. The pedestal is of granite from 
Cape Ann quarries, and is composed of five huge blocks, said to be the 
largest ever quarried in the United States. The cost of the pedestal was 
about $25,000. General Scott is represented in the uniform of his rank 
as Lieutenant-General of the army of the United States. 

Farragut Square, on Connecticut avenue, has a small park, in the 
centre of which is a bronze figure of Admiral David G. Farragut, mod- 
elled by Vinnie Ream Hoxie. It is ten feet in height, and stands on a 
granite pedestal twenty feet in height. It was cast in 1SS0, and unveiled 
April 25, 1 88 1, on which occasion the orators were Hon. Horace May- 
nard, of Tennessee, and Hon. D. W. Voorhees, of Indiana. The figure 
was constructed of metal taken from the bronze propeller of Farragut's 
flag-ship, the Hartford. The cost of this memorial was $25,000. 

McPherson Square, on Vermont avenue, is ornamented with an eques- 
trian statue of General James B. McPherson, which was erected by the 
Society of the Army of the Tennessee. It stands on a massive granite 




STATUE OF WASHINGTON. 



76 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




STATUE OF EMANCIPATION IN LINCOLN PARK. 



pedestal, and the statue and pedestal cost nearly #50,000. The sculptor 
was Louis T. Robisso, and the statue was cast from cannon appropriated 
by Congress for the purpose. The height of the figure is fourteen feet, 
and the horse is twelve feet long. When the statue was unveiled, on 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. jy 

October 18, 1876, there was an imposing military display, and an oration 
was delivered by General John A. Logan. 

Greene Square, on Capitol Hill, contains an equestrian statue of Gen- 
eral Nathaniel Greene of the Continental Army, which was erected in 
1877, at a cost of $50,000. H. T. Brown was the sculptor, and it was cast 
in Philadelphia. It stands on a pedestal of New England granite, twenty 
feet in height. The total height of the statue is thirty-three and one- half 
feet, and its length is fourteen feet. 

Rawlins Square, on New York avenue, has a bronze figure of General 
John A. Rawlins on a granite pedestal. It was- erected in 1874, was 
modelled by J. Bailey, and cost $12,500. It is eight feet high, and the 
pedestal is twelve feet high. 

Judiciary Square, on Louisiana avenue, contains the District Court- 
House and Pension Building. A marble column surmounted by a statue 
of President Lincoln stands in front of the Court-House. This square 
has a park of about twenty acres, with handsome lawns and garden-plats. 

Washington Circle, at the western end of Pennsylvania avenue, has in 
its centre an equestrian statue of General Washington, intended to repre- 
sent him as he appeared at the battle of Princeton. It is the work of 
Clark Mills, and was erected at a cost of $50,000, which sum was appro- 
priated by Congress in 1853. 

Dupont Circle, at the intersection of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and 
New Hampshire avenues, contains a bronze figure of Admiral Samuel 
Francis Dupont, by Launt Thompson, which was unveiled on December 
20, 1884, Hon. Thomas F. Bayard delivering the oration. The figure is 
of heroic proportions, and represents the admiral, in full uniform, as stand- 
ing on the quarter-deck, marine glass in hand. The pedestal is of gray 
granite with a base of blue rock. The cost of the statue was $10,500. 

Thomas Circle, at the intersection of Fourteenth street, Massachusetts 
and Vermont avenues, contains an equestrian statue of General George 
H. Thomas, on a granite pedestal ornamented with bronze tablets, upon 
which is the insignia of the Army of the Cumberland. The statue and 
pedestal are thirty-two feet in height, and they were executed at a cost 
°f $75.° 00 - The Society of the Army of the Cumberland erected the 
statue, and Congress provided the money for the pedestal. The unveil- 
ing ceremony took place on November 19, 1879, and on the occasion 
there was a grand military and civic parade, and Hon. Stanley Matthews 
delivered an oration. 

Iowa Circle, at the intersection of Rhode Island and Vermont ave- 
nues, has as yet no memorial statue. There is a small park in its centre 
containing; a fountain. 



78 



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There are one hun- 
dred and eighty-one 
churches in Washing- 
ton, with, it is esti- 
mated, fifty thousand 
communicants. Of the 
churches, fifty-two are 
Methodist, forty - five 
Baptist, twenty-six 
Episcopal, twenty-one 
Presbyterian, thirteen 
Catholic, ten Lutheran, 
f o u r Congregational, 
two Hebrew, one Uni- 
tarian, one Universal- 
ist, one Christian, one 
Swedenborgian, and 
four non - sectarian. 
In the Sunday-schools 
there are about forty 
thousand scholars. 
Nearly one-half of the 
population of the city 
attend church, — a remarkable proportion 
as compared with other cities. The oldest 
church is the Christ Episcopal Church, 
near the navy-yard, which was erected in 
1795. St. John's Episcopal Church, op- 
posite Lafayette Park, on H street, was built in 18 16. Many of the 
Presidents have attended this church. 

The public school system is an admirable one. Nearly $550,000 are 
yearly appropriated for the schools of the district. There are numerous 
large and handsome school buildings provided with every convenience. 
The Franklin School is the most notable of the white schools, and the 
Sumner School of the colored. Over five hundred teachers are employed 
in the different schools, and there are nearly thirty thousand pupils. 

There are five great public markets in Washington, profusely supplied 
with everything required. The Center Market is the largest, and it is 
also considered one of the finest markets in the United States. Its four 
spacious buildings were erected at a cost of $350,000, and opened in the 
summer of 1873. Around the market are many hucksters' stands, and 




STATUE OF GENERAL THOMAS. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. yg 

on the broad street back of it can be seen every day innumerable wagons 
with vegetables. The Northern Liberty Market is a very large building, 
erected in 1875, at a cost of $150,000. By the market system the people 
of the city are provided with the best of meats and produce. The farmers 
of Maryland and Virginia bring their " truck" to the markets in great 
quantities, and are sure of finding a ready sale. 

By Act of Congress, approved by the President on the nth of June, 
1878, the present government of the District of Columbia by three com- 
missioners was established. The commissioners are appointed by the 
President for a term of three years, and consist of two civilians and one 
officer of the Corps of Engineers of the United States Army. They 
receive $5000 each per year, and have full control of the affairs of the 
district under the supervision of Congress. The United States assumes 
one-half of the expenses of the district and of the cost of all the im- 
provements, and the annual expenditure of the government in this way 
is nearly two million dollars. 

While Washington is devoid of large commercial and manufacturing 
interests, and dependent in a great measure upon the business of the 
government, it has during the past ten years made considerable progress 
in developing trade with the adjacent country, and has also begun certain 
lines of manufacturing which in time may be greatly increased. The 
city is in a very prosperous condition, and there is, apparently, nothing to 
hinder its advancement. 





CHAPTER VI. 

THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT— DETAILS OF THE LOFTY CENOTAPH— THE MEMORIAL 
STONES FROM ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD— THE KEYSTONE, CAPSTONE, AND 
ALUMINIUM TIP— CEREMONY OF SETTING THE CAPSTONE-HISTORY OF THE 
MONUMENT. 

]HE Washington Monument is a massive shaft of fine white 
marble with a pyramidal top. It is simple in form, but has 
a harmony of proportion which will be likely to give it en- 
during beauty. Its tapering lines produce a wonderful grace 
and lightness, and looking at it from a distance one can hardly conceive 
it to be the huge structure that it is. After many years this grand 
memorial to the Father of His Country has been completed and dedi- 
cated, and now stands towering over the city he founded, the loftiest arti- 
ficial elevation in the world. From the base-line to the aluminium point 
which crowns the shaft the height is exactly five hundred and fifty-five 
feet four inches. The shaft rests on foundations thirty-six feet eight 
inches deep, making an aggregate height from the foundation-bed of 592 
feet. The next highest structure is the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt, 
which has an elevation of 543 feet, and following this is the Cologne 
Cathedral in Germany, the central spire of which is 524 feet high. The 
Antwerp Cathedral in Belgium is 476 feet high, and St. Peter's at Rome 
is 448 feet. It is proposed to build the tower of the new City Hall at 
Philadelphia to a height of 535 feet. 

The foundations of the monument, which bear a weight of 81,120 
tons, are constructed of solid blue rock, and are one hundred and forty- 
six feet six inches square. The base of the shaft is fifty-five feet square, 
and the lower walls are fifteen feet thick. At the five hundred feet ele- 
vation, where the pyramidal top begins, the walls are only eighteen inches 
thick and about thirty-five feet square. The inside of the walls, as far as 
they were constructed before the work was undertaken by the govern- 
ment in 1878, — 150 feet from the base, — is of blue granite, not laid in 
courses. From this point to within a short distance of the beginning of 
the top or roof, the inside of the walls is of regular courses of granite, 

6 81 



8 2 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

corresponding with the courses of marble on the outside. For the top 
marble is entirely used. The marble blocks were cut or " dressed" in 
the most careful manner, and laid in courses of two feet by experienced 
and skilful workmen. There is no " filling" or " backing" between the 
granite and marble blocks, but they are all closely joined, the work being 
declared " the best piece of masonry in the world." By a plumb-line 
suspended from the top of the monument inside the walls to the floor, 
the most minute defection from the perpendicular line can be ascertained 
at a glance. During all the work on the enormous shaft not three-eighths 
of an inch defection has been noticed, — a mere trifle in a structure of this 
magnitude. 

In the interior of the monument are eight ponderous columns of iron 
strongly riveted, which extend from the floor to the top. They are placed 
on massive stones bedded in the rock foundations, and support the iron 
staircase and elevator. They are so securely joined and braced that they 
will bear any possible weight. The elevator is suspended by steel-wire 
cables, which are coiled upon a great drum under the floor. During the 
progress of the work upon the monument this elevator was tested in 
every way. All the marble blocks were carried up on it, and from day 
to day it " elevated" greater weight than will ever be placed on it again. 
The staircase is wide and of easy ascent. Every fifty feet there is a 
platform, which extends to the elevator, so that visitors can get on or 
off the elevator at many different places. There are 900 steps from the 
beginning to the end of the staircase, and twenty minutes are required to 
walk to the top of the monument. The elevator goes to the top in seven 
minutes. The interior is lighted by electricity, as there are no openings 
in the shaft except the entrance door and small windows at the top. 

In the rubble-stone masonry of the lower interior walls are set a 
number of memorial-stones, sent to the Washington Monument Society 
by states, corporations, and foreign governments to be inserted in the 
monument, but in the upper walls no such stones were set, as they would 
have weakened the shaft. About one hundred of these stones remain, 
and the greater number will be, cut down to thin slabs and placed on the 
surface of the interior walls. Many of them are elaborately carved, and 
must have cost a great deal of money. They are of marble, fine granite, 
sandstone, and brownstone, and there is one block of pure copper. 
Among the finest are those inscribed " Corporation of Philadelphia," 
" Greece," and " Bremen." One stone is inscribed, " From the Temple 
of Esculapius, Island of Paros." Other stones are inscribed, " Oldest 
Inhabitants District of Columbia, 1870," "The Free Swiss Confederation, 
1870," "Engine Company Northern Liberty, Philadelphia," "Fire De- 




THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT. 



8 4 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



partment, Philadelphia, 1852," "Georgia Convention, 1850," "Lafayette 
Masons, New York City, 1853," "Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, 1851," 
"Continental Guard, New Orleans, 1856," "Jefferson Society, Va.," 
"Grand Division Sons of Temperance of Illinois, 1855," "The Sons of 
New England in Canada," "Deseret (Utah) Holiness to the Lord," "From 
Braddock's Field," " Battle-Ground, Long Island," " Charlestown, the 
Bunker Hill Battle-Ground," "Cherokee Nation, 1855," "Michigan," 
"Vermont," "Kansas," "Salem," "American Medical Association," 
" Templars of Honor and Temperance, New York," " Sons of Temper- 
ance, Pennsylvania," "Brazil," "Arabia," "China," "Nevada, 1881." 
Two stones sent some years before the war of the rebellion are inscribed 
" The State of Louisiana, — Ever Faithful to the Constitution and the 
Union," and "Tennessee, — the Federal Union it must be preserved." One 
sandstone block from Switzerland is inscribed, " This block of stone is 
from the original chapel built to William Tell, in 1338, on Lake Lucerne, 
Switzerland, at the spot where he escaped from Gessler." 

One of the memorial stones received was a gift from the Pope. It 
was a beautiful block of African marble, which had been taken from the 
Temple of Concord, at Rome, and was inscribed with the simple words 
" Rome to America." At that time the Know-Nothing movement was 
rife, and a fanatical minister published an address to the Protestants of 
the country against placing the Pope's block of marble in the monument. 
Such a religious excitement was created that, on the night of March 5, 
1854, the block was taken by force from the building where it was kept, 
and, it is supposed, thrown into the river. The Washington Monument 
Society offered a large reward for the apprehension of the persons engaged 
in this act of vandalism, but they were never discovered. 

The keystone that binds the interior ribs of stone that support the 
marble facing of the pyramidal cap of the monument weighs nearly five 
tons. It is four feet six inches high, and three feet six inches square at 
the top. Its sides were finished in the usual shape of keystones, but 
above the wedge which keys and completes the arch it has a perpendicu- 
lar extension to brace the interior stone blocks. When it was set two 
prominent Masons of Washington ascended to the top of the monument, 
and with a small trowel used on many occasions of Masonic corner-stone 
laying helped to spread the mortar which was to bind the arch under the 
keystone. 

On the 4th of July, 1848, the corner-stone of the monument was laid, 
and on the 6th of December, 1884, the capstone which completed the 
shaft was set. The capstone is five feet two and one-half inches in 
height, and its base is somewhat more than three feet square. At its cap 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



Us 






-Hr 



ENTRANCE TO THE MONUMENT. 



or peak it is five inches in diameter. On the cap was placed a tip 01 
point of aluminium, a composition metal which resembles polished silver 
and which was selected because of its lightness and freedom from oxid? 
tion, and because it will always remain bright. The tip is nine inches i 
height, and four and a half inches in diameter at the base, and weighs si 
pounds and a quarter. 

Engraved on one side of the tip is the following inscription : " Chie 
Engineer and Architect, Thomas Lincoln Casey, Colonel Corps of En- 
gineers; Assistants, -George W. Davis, Fourteenth United States Infantry; 
Bernard R. Green, Civil Engineer; P. H. McLaughlin, Master Mechanic." 
On the three other sides are these inscriptions : " Corner-stone laid or 
bed of foundation July 4, 1848. First stone at height of 152 feet, lai 
August 7, 1880. Capstone set December 6, 1884." "Joint commissio 
at setting of capstone, Chester A. Arthur, W. W. Corcoran, M. E. Bel 
Edward Clark, John Newton. Act of August 2, 1876." " Laus Deo." 

Nature was in a stormy mood on the day the capstone was set. \ 
rained during the morning, but when the time arrived for the ceremon; 
two o'clock in the afternoon, the rain had ceased but the wind was blov 
ing furiously. At the top of the monument the wind-gauge showed th; 
the gale had a velocity of sixty miles an hour. Thousands of glass< 
were pointed at the huge shaft as those who were to participate in tr 
setting of the capstone made their appearance on the small platform 55 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

:>n on the platform 
in the air. When everything was ready each perse 1 |-} len t u e _ j 

ead some cement upon the bed of the capstone, and i s i ow i v r- 

-■> given to " lower away," and the 3300 pound pyramio f 

d position. The stone fitted exactly, and not a chip was taken u 

ment was then spread on the shoulder on which the aluminium tip w , 

rest, and various coins were placed in it. The tip was then fitted to 

e cap and the shaft was done. A moment afterwards the American flag 

s hoisted above the monument and cannon below were fired. 

Immediately after the cannon had announced that the mighty structure 

as completed members of the Washington Monument Society held a 

leeting at the top of the shaft and adopted .this resolution: "Resolved, 

hat we are thankful to have the opportunity of this occasion, and at this 

'evation, to congratulate the American people on the completion of 

.lis enduring monument of our nation's gratitude to the Father of His 

^untry." 

Thus after many years of delay and many years of patient labor this 

p^-ful memorial, in many particulars the world's greatest work of 

ction, was successfully finished. 

view from the top of the monument is grand beyond descrip- 

In the lower course of the roof-stones on each side there are two 



jws, making eight windows 




IN THE ELEVATOR. 



in all from which an outlook can be 
obtained 517 feet above the ground. 
From this height the city of Wash- 
ington appears spread out like a great, 
splendid panorama, all its broad streets 
and avenues, parks and buildings, being 
clearly outlined and displayed. The 
heights of Georgetown and the ranges 
of wooded hills on the north and east 
show boldly and finely. To the south 
and southwest the Potomac can be 
seen for miles winding its way through 
a picturesque country, and afar off the 
Blue Ridge mountains look like clouds 
of mist on the horizon. Looking 
down at the base of the monument a 
novel sight is presented. As is well 
known, parallel lines by the laws of 
perspective converge as they disappear 
from the sight, and looking from the 
top of the monument downward the 




87 



CAPSTONE OF THE MONUMENT, SHOWING THE ALUMINIUM TIP. 



sides of the shaft seem to draw towards each other, and the base appears 
] ~p narrower than the top. The sensation of standing on a high structure 
which is apparently wider at the top than the bottom is peculiar. 

The cost of the monument has been $1,187,710, and it will require at 
least $200,000 more to complete the interior and arrange the grounds. 
Congress has appropriated $887,710 of the amount expended, and the 
balance was furnished by the Washington Monument Society. The 
monument stands on a terrace seventeen feet high, and this terrace will be 
extended until its slopes gradually sink into the surrounding grounds. 
Trees and shrubs will be planted and walks laid out. The square of forty- 
one acres in which the monument is located is a part of the Mall, and is 
bounded by Fourteenth street and the Potomac river. On L'Enfant's 
plan of the city this square was designated as the site for the proposed 
monument to Washington which was ordered by the Continental Con- 
- gress in 1783. 



88 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



In 1799, directly after the death of Washington, Congress again 
resolved to erect a marble monument " in a pyramidal form," but failed 
to appropriate any money for it. In May, 1800, a select Congressional 
committee reported a resolution proposing an appropriation of $100,000 
for beginning the work on the monument. The resolution was adopted 
by the House of Representatives, but was not concurred in by the Senate. 
From that time until 1833 nothing further was done in regard to the 
monument, and probably nothing would have been done to this day had 
it not been for a few patriotic citizens of Washington, who met in the City 
Hall on the evening of September 26, 1833, and organized the National 
Washington Monument Society. The movement was started by George 
Watterson, who was Librarian of Congress from 1815 to 1829, and he 
was aided by Peter Force, Joseph Gales, William Cranch, W. W. Seaton, 
and other prominent citizens. The venerable Chief Justice John Marshall, 
who was then eighty-five years old, was chosen as president of the society, 
nd George Watterson as secretary. The society issued an appeal to the 
ntry for contributions, which were not to exceed one dollar from any 



a 
cou 




COMPLETING THE MONUMENT. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




STAGING AT THE TOP OF THE MONUMENT DURING 
THE WORK OF COMPLETION. 



one person. In three years 
the contributions amounted to 
$28,000, and then a design for 
the monument was selected 
from a large number submitted 
in response to an advertise- 
ment for one which would 
" harmoniously blend durabil- 
ity, simplicity, and grandeur." 
The design made by Robert 
Mills, one of the architects of 
the Capitol, was accepted. It 
was for a circular colonnaded 
building, 250 feet in diameter 
and 100 feet high, from the 
centre of which there was to 
be an obelisk shaft rising to 
the height of 500 feet and 

diminishing to forty feet square at the top. Thirty columns of massive 
proportions were to surround the rotunda, and they were to be sur- 
mounted by an entablature twenty feet high and crowned by a balustrade 
fifteen feet high. This design was set aside some years after, and that 
of a plain shaft rising from a terrace adopted instead. 

In 1847 the monument fund amounted to $87,000. The one dollar 
rule had been abolished and contributions of any amount were received. 
In January, 1 848, Congress authorized the monument society to select 
any of the unoccupied public grounds as a site for the monument, and 
accordingly President Polk, who was ex-officio president of the society, 
selected the square where the monument now stands. On the 4th of 
July, 1848, the corner-stone of the monument was laid. In an account of 
the event it is stated that " the ceremonies were interesting and impressive, 
and were attended by an immense crowd, the largest since the funeral of 
President Harrison, in 1841. It is estimated that 20,000 people must 
have been present. Strangers flocked to the city and the cars were 
insufficient for their accommodation. Every organization and everybody 
turned out. Among the guests on the grand stand were Mrs. Alexander 
Hamilton, then ninety-one years old; George Washington Park Custis, 
Mrs. Dolly Paine Madison, Mrs. John Quincy Adams, Chief Justice 
Taney, Lewis Cass, Martin Van Buren, and Millard Fillmore. Not the 
least prominent in the assembly was a live eagle, twenty-five years old ; 
which twenty- four years before had appeared in the pageant to celebrate 




gO THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

j^fe^, the arrival of Lafayette. B. B. 

i*^^fc French, the Grand Master of 

WBW,lf Masons, in laying the corner-stone, 

used the Masonic gavel of Wash- 
ington, who was a Master Mason. 
Mr. French also wore Washington's 
Masonic apron, and sat in the chair 
Wr' 1 SPif' which Washington occupied in the 

^' X ^M-Jw^9 Alexandria lodge." Hon. Robert C. 

Winthrop, of Boston, then Speaker 
of the House of Representatives, 
delivered an oration upon the life 
, - and character of Washington. 
W&Ssfiy Work on the monument was 

\V~§?.' begun at once and carried on until 
1854, when it was suspended, as the 

COL. THOMAS L. CASEY, CHIEF ENGINEER . • . 1 1 J J 11 

\ ~„~ w^J. ,„„„„. monument society had expended all 

OF THE MONUMENT. J r 

the money it had received, and was 
unable to obtain more. The shaft was then 150 feet high and had cost 
$250,000. Memorials were presented to Congress, from time to time, 
praying that the government should assume the work and finish the 
structure, but there was no practical result until July, 1876/when "the 
centennial feeling" then prevailing induced Congress to make an appro- 
priation for the monument. The government took charge of the con- 
struction, and officers of the Corps of Engineers were directed to examine 
and extend the foundations of the shaft. In 1878 the entire management 
of the construction of the monument was placed in the hands of a com- 
mission consisting of the President of the United States, the chief of 
engineers, the first vice-president of the monument society, the architect 
of the Capitol, and the supervising architect of the Treasury. Col. T. L. 
Casey of the Corps of Engineers was detailed to superintend the work, 
which has been carried on in a systematic and skilful manner. 

On the 2 1st of February, 1885, the monument was dedicated with 
imposing ceremonies in the presence of many thousands of persons from 
all parts of the United States. 




CHAPTER VII. 

THE CAPITOL— ADVERTISING FOR A DESIGN— THE CONTEST BETWEEN HALLATE AND 
THORNTON— LAYING THE CORNER STONE— AN ANCIENT ACCOUNT OF THE CERE- 
MONY—THE REAL ARCHITECT OF THE OLD OR ORIGINAL CAPITOL— BUILDING 
THE EXTENSIONS — WEBSTER'S INSCRIPTION ON THE CORNER-STONE OF THE 
SOUTH EXTENSION. 

N the 14th of March, 1792, the following advertisement 
appeared in Dunlap's American Daily Advertiser of Phila- 
delphia : " Washington, in the Territory of Columbia. A 
premium of a lot in this city to be designated by impartial 
judges, and five hundred dollars, or a medal of that value at the option 
of the party, will be given by the Commissioners of the Federal Buildings 
to the person who, before the 15th of July, 1792, shall produce to them 
the most approved plan for a Capitol to be erected in this city; and two 
hundred and fifty dollars or a medal for the plan deemed next in merit to 
the one they shall adopt. The building to be of brick and to contain the 
following apartments, to wit : A conference - room, a room for the Repre- 
sentatives, sufficient to accommodate three hundred persons each ; a 
lobby or ante-chamber to the latter; a Senate room of twelve hundred 
square feet area ; an ante-chamber ; twelve rooms of six hundred square 
feet each for committee rooms and clerks' offices. It will be a recom- 
mendation of any plan if the central part of it may be detached and 
erected for the present, with the appearance of a complete whole, and be 
capable' of admitting the additional parts in future, if they shall be 
wanting. Drawings will be expected of the grand plats, elevations of 
each front, and sections through the building in such directions as may 
be necessary to explain the internal structure ; and an estimate of the 
cubic feet of brick work composing the whole mass of the walls." 

This was the advertisement of. Thomas Johnson, David Stuart, and 
Daniel Carroll, who were the commissioners appointed by President 
Washington to lay out the new Federal Territory. They were charged 
by act of Congress with the erection of a suitable building " for the 
accommodation of Congress." Major L'Enfant, in his plan of the 

91 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



93 



Federal city, had given the name of " The Capitol" to the building 
intended for the national legislature, and this name being satisfactory to 
those in authority had been formally adopted. The sloping hill in the 
eastern quarter was nearly the centre of the city, and therefore the com- 
missioners had decided to place the Capitol on this elevation, so that it 
could be seen from all points. No better site could have been chosen, 
and it is a very fortunate thing that the great structure — " the nation's 
building" — was not erected on low land, as it would have lost much of 
its imposing and significant appearance. It will be noticed that the ad- 
vertisement for the design states that the building was to be constructed 
of brick. It was first intended to use this material, but the wiser " second 
thought 1 ' led the commissioners to select sandstone instead. Fancy the 
Capitol of brick ! 

A great number of designs were immediately submitted in response 
to the advertisement, but they were all very commonplace, and were 
promptly rejected. A building of pure classic form with a high central 
dome was desired, and none of the designs met the requirements. After 
a little time an outline of a design was submitted by Stephen Hallate, a 
French architect, and it being satisfactory in its general features, he was 
invited to confer with the commissioners about it. Hallate was a resident 
of New York, and had studied architecture in Paris and Rome under the 
best masters. He was accounted one of the most talented architects in 
America, and had designed a number of prominent buildings. He visited 
the city of Washington and thoroughly examined the site chosen for the 
Capitol, and then made a series of sketches for use in the elaboration of 
his design. The commissioners were pleased with the sketches, and 




THE CAPITOL IN 1 827. 



g, THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

directed Hallate to finish the design and they would accept it. With this 
understanding he returned to New York to do the work. 

At that time there was living in New York an Englishman named 
William Thornton, who was in the service of the government as clerk 
of patents. He appears to have been a man of versatile talent, and had 
acquired a good deal of influence with Jefferson, then Secretary of State. 
Thornton was a fine draughtsman, and he drew a very handsome plan of 
the Capitol, with every part elaborated and beautifully colored, which he 
submitted to Jefferson. The plan was greatly admired by all the high 
officials, and at last President Washington wrote to the commissioners 
requesting them to adopt it. The commissioners notified Hallate that 
they should have to do this, and sent him a copy of Thornton's plan. 
When he saw it he declared with great indignation that it was stolen 
from his sketches, and was not original with Thornton. This accusation 
brought on a bitter quarrel between the two men, and for weeks they 
wrangled over the matter in public and private, and continually called 
each other very hard names. But finally Thornton's plan was accepted, 
and he received the first premium of a building lot and $500. The 
second premium of $250 was given to Hallate, and he was also appointed 
as one of the architects of the Capitol, with a salary of $2000 per year, 
a very large sum in those days. James Hoban, the architect of the 
President's House, was appointed as supervising architect 

Work was begun at once on the Capitol, and on September 18, 1793, 

the ceremony of laying the corner-stone was performed. In the Columbian 

Mirror and Alexandria Gazette of September 25, 1793, a copy of which is 

preserved in the Library of Congress, is the only report of this important 

event known to be in existence. The following is an exact reproduction 

of the report : 

" Georgetown, Sept. 21. 

" On Wednesday last one of the grandest Masonic processions took 
place which perhaps ever was exhibited on the like important occasion. 
It was in all probability much facilitated by an advertisement which ap- 
peared many days before in several newspapers of this date. Lodge No. 
9 and Lodge No. 22 with all their officers and regalia appeared on the 
southern bank of the Grand River Potomack ; one of the finest companies 
of Volunteer Artillery parading to receive the President of the United 
States who shortly came in sight with his suite, to whom the artillery 
paid military honors, and his Excellency and suite crossed the river and 
were received in Maryland by the officers and brethren of No 22 Vir- 
ginia, and No. 9 Maryland, whom the President headed and preceded by 
a band of music with the rear brought up by the Alexandria Volunteer 



THE NATIONAL CAP.1TAL. 



95 




MAIN ENTRANCE OF THE CAPITOL. 



Artillery with grand solemnity of march proceeded to the President's 
Square in the city of Washington, where they were met and saluted by 
Lodge No. 15 of the city in all their elegant regalia headed by Bro. 
Joseph Clark Rt. W. G. M. and conducted to a large lodge prepared for 
the purpose of their reception. After a short space of time the brother- 
hood and other bodies were disposed in a second procession which took 
place amidst a brilliant crowd of spectators of both sexes according to 
the- following arrangement: The surveying department of the city of 
Washington ; Mayor and Corporation of Georgetown ; Virginia Artillery ; 
Commissioners of the city of Washington and their attendants ; Stone 
Cutters ; Mechanics ; Two Sword Bearers ; Masons of the First Degree ; 
Bibles, etc., on Grand Cushions ; Deacons with Staffs of Office ; Masons 
of the Second Degree ; Stewards with Wands ; Wardens with Truncheons ; 
Secretaries with Tools of Office ; Past Masters with their Regalia; Treas- 
urers with their Jewels; Band of Music; Lodge No. 22 of Virginia, dis- 
posed in their own order; Corn, Wine, and Oil; Grand Master P. T. ; 
George Washington; W. M. No. 22, Virginia; Grand Sword Bearer. 



9 6 



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" The procession marched two a breast in the greatest solemn dignity, 
with music playing, drums beating, colors flying, and spectat< oicing, 

from the President's Square to the Capitol in the city of Washington, 
where the Grand Marshal ordered a halt, and directed each file in the 
procession to incline two steps, one to the right, and one to tho \ ar 
face each other, which formed a hollow oblong square, through w ch the 
Grand Sword Bearer led the van followed by the Grand Master P. i. on 
the left, the President of the United States in the centre, and the \\ 
shipful Master of No. 22, Virginia, on the right. All the other orders 
that composed the procession advanced in the reverse of their order 
of march from the President's Square, to the south east corner of the 
Capitol, and the artillery filed off to a destined ground to display their 
manoeuvres and discharge their cannon. The President of the United 
States, the Grand Master P. T. and the Worshipful Master of No. 22 
took their stands to the east of a huge stone, and all the craft forming in 
a circle westward stood a short time in silent awful order. 

" The artillery discharged a volley. The Grand Marshal delivered the 
commissioners a large silver plate with an inscription thereon, which the 
commissioners ordered to be read, and was as follows : 

" ' This southeast corner-stone of the Capitol of the United States of 
America in the city of Washington was laid on the 18th day of Sep- 
tember, 1793, in the 13th year of American Independence, in the first 
year of the second term of the Presidency of George Washington, whose 
virtues in the civil administration of his country have been as conspicuous 
and beneficial as his military valor and prudence have been useful in es- 
tablishing her liberties, and in the year of Masonry 5793, by the President 
of the United States in concert with the Grand Lodge of Maryland, 
several lodges under its jurisdiction, and Lodge No. 22, from Alexandria, 
Virginia. 

"'Thomas Johnson, ^ 

'"David Stuart, \ Commissioners. 

" 'Daniel Carroll, J 

" 'Joseph Clark, R.W.G.M. P. T. 

'"James Hoban, ) Architects 

Stephen Hallate, ) 
"'Collen Williamson, M. Mason! 



" The artillery discharged a volley. The plate was then delivered to 
the President, who, attended by the Grand Master P. T. and three most 
worshipful masters, descended to the caisson trench and deposited the 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



97 



plate, and laid on it the corner-stone of the Capitol of the United States 
of America, on which was deposited corn, wine, and oil. Then the whole 
congregation joined in prayer, which was succeeded by Masonic chanting 
honors and a volley from the artillery. The President of the United 
States and his attendant brethren ascended from the caisson to the east of 
the corner-stone and there the Grand Master P. T. elevated on a triple 
rostrum delivered an oration, after which there was more Masonic 
chanting and a 15th volley from the artillery. 

" The whole company retired to an extensive booth where an ox of 
500 lbs. was barbacued, of which the company generally partook, with 
every abundance of other recreation. The festival concluded with 15 
successive volleys from the artillery, and before dark the whole company 
departed with joyful hopes of the production of their labor." 

Stephen Hallate never forgot that he had been deprived of the honor 
of designing the Capitol, and upon every occasion took particular pains to 
annoy and insult the commissioners. They bore this a while, and, when 
patience had ceased to be a virtue, dismissed the cantankerous French- 
man, and appointed George Hatfield, a resident of Washington, to finish 
the construction of the north wing of the Capitol. He was also full of 
" quarrel and offence," and remained only a few months at the work, and 
James Hoban was finally compelled to carry it on alone. He completed 
the north wing in time for Congress to occupy it in November, 1800. 
Two years afterwards the commissioners secured a very capable English 
architect named Benjamin Henry Latrobe, and gave him full power to 
complete the Capitol after his own plan. Latrobe had been a pupil of 
Cockrell, the greatest London architect of his day, had travelled exten- 
sively in Europe, was the master of seven languages, and a man of rare 
inventive genius. He had come to America in 1796, and had made a fine 
reputation by architectural work in Southern cities. The first thing he 
did was to demolish the greater part of the north wing of the Capitol, 
which had been very badly constructed, and then he began to build upon 
a better plan. He secured variegated marble from Virginia for columns 
and capitals, employed a number of Italian sculptors to make artistic 
ornaments, and used brains and method in his work. He finished both 
wings in 181 1, and connected them by a wooden bridge. No attempt 
was made to construct the central part of the Capitol, as Congress was 
not inclined to appropriate sufficient money for the purpose. 

After the British had burned the Capitol in 18 14, Congress wrangled 
a long time over the matter of rebuilding, and Latrobe, fretting at the 
delay, left Washington and went to Pittsburg to build a steamboat for 

7 



9 8 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




STATUE OF WAR IN MAIN ENTRANCE OF THE CAPITOL. 



Robert Fulton. It was not long before he was invited to return, and was 
informed that if he would undertake the reconstruction of the Capitol he 
would be furnished with ample means. He accepted the invitation, and 
began the work with the determination to make the Capitol rise from its 
ashes grander than before. Congress leased a building in which to hold 
its sessions during the reconstruction. 

Latrobe was the real architect of the old Capitol, — the central or 
original building as it now stands. Thornton's plan was not followed by 
him in the slightest particular, and the small amount of finished work he 
found when he first took charge he pulled to pieces and rebuilt after his 
own ideas. All of the exterior of the building is his work save, perhaps, 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL, 



99 




STATUE OF PEACE IN MAIN ENTRANCE OF THE CAPITOL. 



the walls of the north wing, and the interior was either constructed or 
designed by him. He fashioned the old Senate chamber and the old Hall 
of Representatives, — two remarkable specimens of classical grace and sym- 
metry. From 18 1 5 to 1 8 17 he was busily engaged in restoring the Capitol, 
but resigned before the work was completed, and Charles Bulfinch, a 
Boston architect, took his place. Bulfinch used Latrobe's plans during 
the ten years he labored, and in 1827 he reported the building finished. 

The Capitol at that time had cost $2,433,814. It was three hundred 
and fifty-two feet four inches long and one hundred and twenty-one feet 
six inches wide, exclusive of the projections or steps, which on the east 
side were sixty-five feet in width and on the west eighty-three feet. 



IOO 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




■hJZ 



NATIONAL BOTANICAL GARDEN. 



The wings were seventy feet high 
to the top of the balustrade, and 
the central dome, which was con- 
structed of wood with a covering 
of copper, was seventy-five feet 
high. 

Until 1 85 I nothing of conse- 
quence was done to the exterior 
of the Capitol, but its architect, 

Robert Mills, made some slight improvements to the interior. Congress 
decided to build greater wings or extensions north and south, in which 
both houses might be better accommodated, and accordingly, on the 4th 
of July, 185 1, the corner-stone of the south extension was laid with 
Masonic rites. President Fillmore participated in the ceremony, and 
Secretary of State Daniel Webster delivered an oration. A tablet, in- 
scribed as follows, was placed under the corner-stone : 

" On the morning of the first day of the seventy-sixth year of the 
Independence of the United States of America, in the city of Washington, 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. IOI 

being the 4th day of July, 185 1, this stone, designated as the corner-stone 
of the Extension of the Capitol, according to a plan approved by the 
President, in pursuance of an act of Congress, was laid by Millard Fill- 
more, President of the United States, assisted by the Grand Master of 
the Masonic Lodges, in the presence of many members of Congress ; of 
officers of the Executive and Judiciary Departments, National, State, 
and District ; of officers of the Army and Navy ; the corporate authorities 
of this and neighboring cities; many associations, civil, military, and 
Masonic; officers of the Smithsonian Institution and National Institute; 
professors of colleges and teachers of schools of the District of Columbia, 
with their students and pupils; and a vast concourse of people from 
places near and remote, including a few surviving gentlemen who wit- 
nessed the laying of the corner-stone of the Capitol by President Wash- 
ington, on the 18th day of September, 1793. If, therefore, it shall be 
hereafter the will of God that this structure shall fall from its base, that 
its foundations be upturned, and this deposit brought to the eyes of men, 
be it known that on this day the Union of the United States of America 
stands firm ; that their Constitution still exists unimpaired, and with all 
its original usefulness and glory, growing every day stronger and stronger 
in the affections of the great body of the American people, and attracting 
more and more the admiration of the world. And all here assembled, 
whether belonging to public life or to private life, with hearts devoutly 
thankful to Almighty God for the preservation of the liberty and happi- 
ness of the country, unite in sincere and fervent prayers that this deposit, 
and the walls and arches, the domes and towers, the columns and entab- 
latures, now to be erected over it, may endure forever! God save the 
United States of America. 

"DANIEL WEBSTER, 
" Secretary of State of the United States ." 

The architect of the extensions was Thomas U. Walter, of Philadel- 
phia, who had designed Girard College and other important structures. 
He prepared plans not only for the extensions, but for the present dome. 
Sixteen years were required to complete this reconstruction of the Capitol, 
and very nearly ten million dollars were expended. All of the work was 
done in a thoroughly excellent manner under the supervision of General 
M. C. Meigs. The great and imposing building has been very little 
changed since 1867, the year the extensions were finished. 




CHAPTER VIII. 

DESCRIPTION OF THE CAPITOL-THE CENTRAL BUILDING AND THE EXTENSIONS- 
VARIOUS WORKS OF ART— THE BRONZE DOORS— THE GREAT DOME AND STATUE 
OF FREEDOM— GREENOUGH'S STATUE OF WASHINGTON— STATUE OF CHIEF JUSTICE 
MARSHALL— THE CAPITOL PARK— THE BOTANICAL GARDEN— NAVAL MONUMENT. 

O building in America has the majestic appearance of the 
Capitol, and few in the world can be compared to it in gran- 
deur and massiveness. It stands on the brow of a hill ninety 
feet above the level of the Potomac river, and its huge white 
dome glittering in the sunlight can be seen for many miles. It is 751 
feet four inches long, and, including the projections, 324 feet wide, and 
covers nearly four acres. Around it is a beautiful park forty-six acres in 
extent. The central building, or what is known as the original Capitol, 
is of Virginia sandstone painted white, and the two extensions, or Senate 
and House wings, are of fine white marble from quarries at Lee, Massa- 
chusetts. There is a rustic basement upon which rests the principal story, 
and above this is the attic story, surmounted by the entablature and bal- 
ustrade. A series of columns and pilasters go entirely around the build- 
ing. The central part is 352 feet four inches long and 121 feet six inches 
wide, and the extensions are each 142 feet eight inches long and 238 feet 
ten inches wide. The corridors which connect the extensions with the 
centre are each forty-four feet long and fifty-six feet wide. 

The Capitol faces to the east, and its rear or western front overlooks 
the populous part of Washington. It was originally located in this way 
because it was believed that the city would grow almost entirely to the 
east over the broad, level plateau which constitutes Capitol Hill, and the 
Capitol would then face the most prominent section. This was not the 
case, however, as the city developed on its northwestern side, and the 
eastern section for many years was but sparsely settled, and even to-day 
does not contain one-tenth part of the population of the city. The Capi- 
tol, therefore, stands with its " front door on the back side" like the Irish- 
man's shanty, but it is likely that, before many years, the western front 

103 




DOME OF THE CAPITOL. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



I05 



will be made like the eastern, so that 

the building will then have two "front 

doors" precisely alike. 

The central portico at the main en- 
trance on the eastern front of the Capi- 
tol has twenty-four ponderous columns 

of sandstone, which were erected in 

1825. They are thirty feet high, and 

each is composed of a single stone. 

On 'the tympanum of the portico is 

an allegorical group, designated as 

the " Genius of America," which was 

sculptured in sandstone by Persico, a 

distinguished Roman sculptor. The 

design was drawn by John Quincy 

Adams when Secretary of State. The 

central figure represents America with 

a shield and spear. The shield has on 

it the letters U. S. A., and rests on a 

low altar decorated with a wreath of 

oak leaves encircling the date, July 4, 

1776. At the feet of America sits a 

large eagle, and on the right and left 

are figures representing Justice and Hope. Justice holds in her right 

hand an open scroll inscribed " Constitution of the United States," and 

in her left perfectly-balanced scales. Hope rests upon an anchor, and 

is addressing America, who points to Justice. The group " suggests 

that, however hope may 
flatter, all prosperity 
should be founded in 
public right and the 
preservation of the 
Constitution." 

In niches at the main 
entrance door are two 
massive statues of pure 
Italian marble to repre- 
sent War and Peace. 
They are the work of 
Persico, and cost $6000 

ALLEGORICAL GROUP ON PORTICO OF THE CAPITOL, ' ^ 

designed by john quincy adams. each. Over the door is 




STATUE OF FREEDOM ON CAPITOL DOME. 




io6 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




MARBLE GROUP, "THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA, 
ON PORTICO OF THE CAPITOL. 



a basso-rilievo of Washington being crowned with a laurel wreath by 
Fame and Peace. It was cut in sandstone, in 1827, by Capellano. 

The portico, which is 160 feet in length, has broad stone steps flanked 
by large buttresses. On one buttress is a marble group representing 
" The Discovery of America." It was executed by Persico, in 1846, at a 
cost of $24,000. Columbus is represented holding aloft a small globe 
inscribed " America," while at his side crouches an Indian maiden. The 
figure of the great navigator is encased in armor, which is stated to be a 
correct copy " to a rivet" of the armor he wore. On the opposite buttress 
is a marble group executed by Horatio Greenough, and which represents 
" Civilization, or the first settlement of America." This has figures of a 
pioneer and Indian engaged in deadly conflict, and on one side is the 
pioneer's wife clasping a babe to her breast, while she watches the conflict 
with anxious interest. Greenough was twelve years executing this group, 
and its cost was nearly $25,000. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



107 




MARBLE GROUP, "CIVILIZATION," ON PORTICO 
OF THE CAPITOL. 



The door of the main entrance to the Capitol is of bronze, and on it 
are designs in high relief illustrative of the career of Columbus. It is 
one of the finest pieces of bronze work in the world, and was modelled 
at Rome, in 1858, by Randolph Rogers, the American sculptor, and cast 
at Munich, in i860. With the casing the door is nineteen feet in height 
and nine feet in width, and weighs 20,000 pounds. Its cost was $28,000. 
The casing is covered with emblematic designs, and on the top of the 
arch is a bust of Columbus. There are eight panels on the door, and 
also a transom panel, and on them are finely represented the following 
scenes : " The examination of Columbus before the Council of Sala- 
manca ;" " Departure of Columbus from the Convent of La Rabida for 
the Spanish court;" "Columbus before the court of Ferdinand and Isa- 
bella ;" " Departure of Columbus from Palos on his first voyage of dis- 
covery;" "Columbus landing at San Salvador;" "First encounter of 
Columbus with the Indians;" "Triumphal entry of Columbus into Bar- 



I0 8 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

celona;" " Columbus in chains;" " Death-bed of Columbus." The scenes 
begin from the bottom panel on the left side of the door, as shown in the 
illustration, and go up to the transom panel and then down the right side. 
Around the door and between the panels are statues of prominent con- 
temporaries of the navigator and busts of the historians of his voyages. 

The famous Crawford bronze door is in the entrance to the Senate 
extension. It was modelled by Thomas Crawford, and cast at Chicopee, 
Massachusetts. It is fourteen and one-half feet high, and nine and one- 
half feet wide, and weighs 14,000 pounds. It cost nearly $57,000, and 
was placed in position in 1868. On its eight panels are scenes in high 
relief illustrative of American history, beginning with the " Battle of 
Bunker Hill and Death of General Warren, June, 1775," and following 
with the " Battle of Monmouth, June, 1778, and rebuke of General 
Charles Lee, the traitor;" the " Battle of Yorktown, 1781 ;" a " Hessian 
soldier in death-struggle'with an American;" an allegory of the "Bless- 
ings of Peace;" the "Ovation to Washington at Trenton, 1789;" the 
" Inauguration of Washington as First President of the United States ;" 
and the " Laying of the corner-stone of the Capitol of the United States." 
The scenes begin at the top of the right side of the door, as shown in 
the illustration, and go downward and then up the left side. The frame 
is ornamented with designs of the acanthus, grape, maize, and cotton-boll. 

On the tympanum of the portico of the Senate extension there is a 
marble group sculptured by Thomas Crawford, which represents " Amer- 
ican Civilization and the Decadence of the Indian Races." .The figures 
portray America, War, Commerce, Education, the Mechanical Arts, 
Pioneers, and Indians. The cost of this work was $50,000. 

The porticoes of the Senate and House extensions have massive mono- 
lithic columns of marble with beautiful capitals, and similar columns are 
placed on the north and south projections and west front. On the grand 
central portico of the Capitol the Presidents of the United States take the 
oath of office on inauguration day. 

The great dome which rises from the centre of the Capitol is of grand, 
symmetrical proportions, and has no equal in the world for classical 
beauty. It was constructed under the direction of Charles F. Thomas 
after designs by Thomas U. Walter, and cost $1,250,000. Eight years 
were required to build it, and so carefully and thoroughly was the work 
done that it is believed it will never need to be repaired. It was made of 
the strongest cast iron, and nearly four thousand tons were used. Over a 
series of ribs large sheets of iron were securely bolted, and all the mech- 
anism was arranged to move together during atmospheric changes "like 
the folding and unfolding of a lily." The dome is thickly covered with 




THE ROGERS BRONZE DOOR IN MAIN ENTRANCE OF THE CAPITOL. 



IIO THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

white paint every year, to prevent it from rusting, and, as the builder 
says, will doubtless stand for a thousand years impervious to wind and 
weather. 

At the base there is a peristyle composed of thirty-six iron columns 
and surmounted by a wide balustrade. Above the peristyle is an attic 
story, and above this begins the domical covering. From the top of the 
dome rises a " lantern" fifty feet high and fifteen feet in diameter. It is 
surrounded by a peristyle, and contains a large reflecting lamp, which is 
lighted whenever Congress has a night session. This light can be seen 
from all parts of the city. The shell of the dome has numerous windows 
to admit light to the rotunda. Every part of the huge sphere is of iron. 

On the top of the lantern stands a bronze statue of Freedom, designed 
by Thomas Crawford, and cast in the foundry of Clark Mills, at Bladens- 
burg, Maryland. The statue is nineteen and one-half feet high, weighs 
14,985 pounds, and cost nearly $24,000. It rests upon a globe which is 
inscribed " E Pliiribus Unum" The figure is that of the Goddess of 
Liberty, and its head is crowned with a helmet surrounded by a circlet 
of stars and topped with a bunch of feathers. When the design was 
made, in 1855, it was submitted to Jefferson Davis, who was then Secre- 
tary of War. Crawford had placed a " liberty cap" on the figure, but Mr. 
Davis objected to this cap on the ground that it suggested that Americans 
had been slaves, and therefore Crawford removed the cap and substituted 
the bunch of feathers. The statue was placed on its lofty pedestal De- 
cember 2, 1863. When the work of erecting it was finished, the emblem 
of liberty was saluted with thirty-four guns by a park of artillery stationed 
on the eastern grounds of the Capitol, and to this salute the guns of all 
the forts around Washington responded. 

The low wooden dome, which stood where the great iron dome is 
now, was removed in 1856. It was seventy-five feet high. The present 
dome stands 218 feet above the balustrade on the top of the Capitol. 
The total height from the base-line of the eastern front of the building to 
the crest of the statue of Freedom is 307^ feet. The diameter of the 
dome is 135^2 ^ eet - Persons are allowed to ascend the dome to the 
gallery directly under the lantern. The view of Washington and the sur- 
rounding country from this high place is magnificent. 

The celebrated statue of Washington, by Horatio Greenough, occu- 
pies a position on the eastern grounds of the Capitol, facing the grand por- 
tico. Congress ordered the work in 1832, with the intention of placing 
it over the vaulted tomb of Washington, which was to be constructed 
in the crypt of the Capitol, with an opening through the floor of the 
rotunda, but as the heirs of Washington declined to allow his remains to 




THE CRAWFORD BRONZE DOOR IN SENATE EXTENSION OF THE CAPITOL. 



I 12 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



be removed from Mount Vernon, the tomb was not constructed. The 
statue was received from Italy in 1840, and for a time was placed in the 
rotunda. It is a colossal sitting figure of Carrara marble, on a granite 
pedestal, and cost $45,000. The figure, which is partially nude, is seated 
in a chair of Roman design, on which are small statues of Columbus and 
an Indian chief, and also lions' heads and acanthus leaves. Representa- 
tions of Hercules strangling the serpent and Apollo driving the chariot of 
the sun around the world are on the sides of the chair, and on the back is 
the Latin inscription, " Simulacrum istud ad magnum Libertatus cxcmplum, 
nee sine ipsa duraturum" which can be freely translated, " This statue is 
for a great example of liberty, nor without liberty will the example 
endure." Washington is represented with his right hand pointing toward 
heaven and with his left holding a sheathed sword. The pedestal is in- 
scribed, " First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen." 
On the western grounds of the Capitol, near the steps which lead to 
the upper terrace, is a large bronze statue of John Marshall, Chief Justice 
of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1801 to 1835. It is the 




GREENOUGH'S STATUE OF WASHINGTON IN EASTERN 
PARK OF THE CAPITOL. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



113 




STATUE OF CHIEF JUSTICE MARSHALL IN WESTERN PARK 
OF THE CAPITOL. 

work of William W. Story, was executed at Rome, and unveiled May 10, 
1884. The Chief Justice is represented as seated in the chair he used in 
the court-room. He wears his official robe, and extends one hand as if 
delivering a judicial opinion. The figure rests on a pedestal of drab 
Italian marble, which bears on its front the inscription, " John Marshall, 
Chief Justice of the United States. Erected by the Bar and the Congress 
of the United States, a.d. 1884." On the rear of the pedestal is a wreath 
of oak and laurel, and on the sides are two panels containing large basso- 
rilievo entitled " Minerva dictating the constitution to Young America," 
and " Victory leading Young America to swear fidelity on the altar of the 
Union." There are eight figures in each panel, two feet in height. The 

8 



II4 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

statue and pedestal cost $40,000. The features of the Chief Justice are 
clearly portrayed, and the likeness is pronounced very accurate. 

Soon after the death of Marshall, in 1835, an association was organized 
in Philadelphia to raise a fund to erect a statue to his memory. Contri- 
butions were received from lawyers in different parts of the country, but 
as only about $4000 were obtained, the fund was invested in the city bonds 
of Philadelphia, and as the interest accrued it was reinvested. In 1882 
the fund had increased by careful management to $20,000, and the trustees 
appeared before Congress with the proposition that they would convey 
the sum to the United States if Congress would appropriate a similar 
amount and order the statue to be constructed, it having been estimated 
that it would cost $40,000. The proposition was accepted, and the con- 
tract for the statue was given to Mr. Story, who has produced a satisfac- 
tory work. 

The grounds around the Capitol have been laid out in a very attractive 
manner during the past ten years, and now form an admirable setting to 
the magnificent building. Large numbers of fine trees, shrubs, and flower- 
ing plants are growing in various parts of the grounds, and there are 
lawns, fountains, well-paved walks and drives. The entire park of forty- 
six acres is enclosed by a low granite wall with ornamental entrances. 

Adjacent to the western grounds of the Capitol is located the National 
Botanica T Garden of ten acres. It was established about fifty years ago, 
but its greatest development has been within the past fifteen years. It 
contains a great conservatory filled with the choicest foreign plants, and 
also a number of small conservatories. Around the garden are extensive 
collections of trees and shrubs, which are cultivated in a scientific manner. 
Here are grown a large portion of the plants set out each spring in the 
parks, squares, and circles of the city. The garden is under the control 
of Congress, and the members of both houses obtain from it each session 
at least two thousand bouquets, besides many "botanical specimens" 
which they take to their homes all over the United States. 

On Pennsylvania avenue, near the main entrance to the western 
grounds of the Capitol, stands the Naval Monument, which is inscribed, 
" In memory of the officers, seamen, and marines of the United States 
Navy who fell in defence of the Union and liberty of their country, 1861- 
1865." It was designed by Admiral David D. Porter, and executed by 
Franklin Simmons at Rome. It is of pure Carrara marble, and encircling 
its base is an elaborate granite foundation designed by Edward Clark, the 
present architect of the Capitol. Two figures, America and History, stand 
on the top of the monument. America is sorrowfully narrating the loss 
of her defenders, while History records on her tablet, " They died that 






THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. U r 

their country might live." Below these figures, on the front of the monu- 
ment, is a figure of Victory holding aloft a laurel wreath, and on the back 
is a figure of Peace offering the olive branch. The monument is forty- 
four feet in height, and the figures on it are six feet. It was erected in 
1877 from contributions received from members of the navy, and the 
granite foundation was furnished by Congress. The cost was $21,000 
for the monument and $20,000 for the foundation. 





THE NAVAL MONUMENT. 






t?i 



CHAPTER IX. 

PRINCIPAL STORY OF THE CAPITOL— THE ROTUNDA AND ITS CANOPY— HISTORICAL 
PAINTINGS— STATUARY HALL— THE STATUES CONTRIBUTED BY VARIOUS STATES 
—NOTABLE WORKS OF ART— THE BASEMENT OF THE CAPITOL— UNDER-GROUND 
CHAMBERS AND CRYPTS— THE AMOUNT EXPENDED ON THE NATION'S BUILDING. 

HE principal story of the Capitol contains the great Rotunda, 
the National Statuary Hall, formerly used by the House of 
Representatives, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court- 
Room, formerly used by the Senate, and the halls of the Houses 
of Congress. It has also numerous rooms for the officials of the Capitol 
and of Congress. The Rotunda is in the centre of the old or original 
Capitol. It is ninety-five feet six inches in diameter, three hundred feet 
in circumference, and one hundred and eighty feet in height. ' It has a 
sandstone floor, which is supported by ponderous brick arches, which rest 
on columns arranged in peristyles. Above the walls of the Capitol the 
Rotunda is entirely of iron, as it is the interior of the great dome. Light 
is admitted to it by the thirty-six windows of the peristyle of the dome. 
At its extreme height is an opening called " the eye," and suspended over 
this is a gigantic canopy, on which is an allegorical painting by Constan- 
tino Brumidi, entitled " The Apotheosis of Washington." The canopy 
is a circular sheet of iron covered with stucco, and is sixty-five feet in 
diameter and two hundred and five feet in circumference. It covers an 
area of 4664 feet. Brumidi 's painting is a very elaborate work, executed 
with great skill, and even from the floor of the Rotunda has a fine, artistic 
effect. The central figure is Washington, with Freedom and Victory at 
his right and left, and around them are female figures to represent the 
original states of the Union. The border of the canopy contains six 
groups of emblematic figures, representing the Fall of Tyranny, Agricul- 
ture, Mechanics, Commerce, the Marine, and the Arts and Sciences. The 
painting is glowing with color, and every portion of it is finished in a very 
careful manner. All the figures are large and admirably delineated. 
Brumidi gave several years to this work, which was an exceedingly ardu- 

117 



u g THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

ous one on account of the peculiar position of the canopy. The painting 
cost nearly $50,000. 

Above the architrave of the Rotunda, on the frieze ten feet wide which 
encircles the walls, are frescos of the important events in the history of 
America. They are executed in chiaro-oscuro (light and shade), and were 
begun by Brumidi in 1878. After his death, in 1880, the work was under- 
taken by Castigini, his pupil, who has since carried it on. The series will 
not probably be completed for several years. 

On the walls of the Rotunda are arabesque designs and panels with 
medallions of Columbus, Raleigh, Cabot, and La Salle, which were exe- 
cuted in 1827, by Caucici and Capellano, Italian sculptors, who were pupils 
of Canova. In oblong panels over the entrance doors are alto-rilievi of 
the " Landing of the Pilgrims," " Pocahontas saving the life of Captain 
John Smith," " William Penn holding a conference with the Indians," and 
" Daniel Boone in conflict with the Indians." These are also the work of 
Caucici and Capellano. 

The Rotunda contains eight mammoth paintings set in panels round 
the walls. Four of them represent scenes of the discovery and settlement 
of America, and the others are devoted to the Revolutionary period. They 
are all by American artists and were painted many years ago. 

The first of the early historical paintings represents the " Landing of 
Columbus at San Salvador," and is by John Vanderlyn, who received 
310,000 for it. Columbus is represented in the act of proclaiming posses- 
sion in the name of Spain of the land he had discovered, October 14, 1492. 

The second painting represents "The Discovery of the Mississippi by 
De Soto, May, 1541." It is by William H. Powell, and cost $12,000. 
The central figure is De Soto mounted on a spirited horse. The painting 
is not considered historically correct. 

The third painting represents "The Baptism of Pocahontas, 1613," 
and is by John G. Chapman. He received $10,000 for the work. The 
Indian princess, her husband, John Rolfe, John and Ann Laydon, Sir 
Thomas Dale, Alexander Whitaker, several Indian chiefs, and prominent 
people of the Virginia colony are represented. 

The fourth painting represents "The Embarkation of the Pilgrims 
from Delft Haven, Holland, July 21, 1620." It is by Robert W. Weir, 
and cost $10,000. It represents the prayer on board of the little ship 
just before it sailed for America with the band of pilgrims who were 
seeking a land of religious liberty. 

The other paintings are known as the Trumbull series, and represent 
events connected with the Revolutionary war. The artist was John 
Trumbull, who was born in 1756 and died in 1843. He was a son of 




THE ROTUNDA OF THE CAPITOL. 



I20 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

Jonathan Trumbull, governor of Connecticut during the Revolution, and 
for a year or so was an officer on Washington's staff. He spent five 
years in Europe in the study of art, and for more than twenty years was 
engaged in gathering the material and preparing himself to paint the 
scenes of the struggle for American independence. It is stated that " the 
Trumbull series of pictures are especially valuable, because each of the 
many faces painted in them are actual likenesses, for which many of 
the subjects sat to the artist, and when this was not the case, copies of 
portraits at the time in the possession of the respective families were 
introduced." Congress gave the order for the paintings in 1817, and in 
1824 they were completed, and the artist received $32,000 for them. 

The first of the series is entitled " Signing of the Declaration of 
Independence, 1776." The hall of the Continental Congress is exactly 
reproduced, and the members of the Congress are painted in an accurate 
manner. John Hancock, President of the Congress, is represented seated 
at a table on which is the Declaration of Independence, and in front of 
the table are Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger 
Sherman, and Robert L. Livingston, the committee who had charge of 
the document. Trumbull obtained the information as to the disposition 
of the persons represented in the painting from Jefferson, Adams, and 
others who were present when the Declaration was signed. 

The ^econd Trumbull painting is entitled " Surrender of General 
Burgoyne, Saratoga, October 17, 1777." The artist was present at the 
surrender, and made a sketch of it at the time. The painting is thus 
described : " General Burgoyne, attended by General Phillips and fol- 
lowed by other officers, has arrived near the marque of General Gates. 
General Gates has advanced a few steps to meet his prisoner, who, with 
General Phillips, has dismounted, and is in the act of offering his sword, 
which General Gates declines to receive, and invites them to enter and 
partake of refreshments. A number of the principal officers of the 
American army are assembled near their General." 

The third painting is entitled " Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at York- 
town, October 19, 1781." Lord Cornwallis and the officers of the defeated 
British army, conducted by General Lincoln, are represented as entering 
the lines of the American and French troops. A writer says, "When 
General Lincoln had surrendered to the British at Charleston some time 
before, Lord Cornwallis refused to permit the Americans to march out 
with flying colors, as was usual. When Cornwallis surrendered, General 
Washington appointed General Lincoln to oversee the manner in which 
the British should submit, which was with arms shouldered and colors 
lowered." 




CANOPY OF THE ROTUNDA. 



122 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




NATIONAL STATUARY HALL, SHOWING 
THE HISTORICAL CLOCK. 



The fourth painting is 
entitled "Resignation of 
General Washington at Annapolis, 
December 23, 1783." After bidding 
farewell in New York to his compan- 
ions in arms, Washington, attended 
by only two of his aides, journeyed 
to Annapolis, where Congress was 
sitting in the old State House, and 
resigned his commission as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. 
Martha Washington met her husband at Annapolis, and after the resig- 
nation accompanied him to Mount Vernon. Trumbull has painted her in 
the gallery of the State House prominent among the spectators of the 
resignation. 

The hall formerly occupied by the House of Representatives is now 
known as the National Statuary Hall. It was designed by Latrobe in 
1803, and when he reconstructed the Capitol after the British invaders had 
burned it, in 18 14, he improved and extended the original design, adding 
marble columns and various works of art. The hall is fashioned some- 
what after the ancient theatre at Athens, and is considered an almost 



■THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. l2 o 

perfect example of classic symmetry. It is semicircular in form, ninety- 
five feet in length, and to the top of the domed ceiling fifty-seven feet in 
height. The ceiling is beautifully painted. On one side of the hall is a 
high, wide arch supported by marble pillars, and on the other side a 
colonnade of twenty-six tall columns of variegated marble, with capitals 
of pure white marble, sculptured in Italy. The floor is of marble with 
mosaic tiling. On the arch is a plaster statue of Liberty, and also a large 
sandstone eagle with outspread wings. ' The old marble clock used by the 
Representatives is standing over the entrance door from the Rotunda. It 
was executed by Charles Franzoni, in 1819, and is a notable work of art. 
The Genius of History is represented as recording on a tablet the events 
of the nation. She stands gracefully on a winged car, which is rolling over 
the globe. The wheel of the car is the face of the clock. 

The House of Representatives used this hall from 1808 until 18 14, 
and then from 1817 until December 16, 1857; and during that period of 
nearly fifty years many legislative matters of great national importance 
were discussed and acted upon. Here the " giants in those days" — Clay, 
Webster, the younger Adams, Calhoun, Randolph, Cass, Burges, Wise, 
Forsyth, Corwin, Wright, and many others — won reputation for states- 
manship, and made the walls ring with their fiery eloquence. Here were 
many fierce and bitter wrangles over vexed questions, — turbulent scenes, 
displays of sectional feeling ; and here also was much legislative action 
which has gone into history as wise and beneficial. Where the Congress- 
men of the age that is gone attended to the business of the nation often- 
times with a torrent of words, now stand mute "chosen sons" of the states 
in dignified effigies of marble and bronze. Seven years after the House 
of Representatives had removed to its new hall in the south extension 
of the Capitol, the old hall was devoted to its present use. Congress 
authorized the President, in 1864, to invite each state "to send the 
effigies of two of her chosen sons, in marble or in bronze, to be placed 
permanently here." 

Comparatively few of the states have as yet responded to the invitation, 
but it is believed they will all be represented in this grand hall of statues 
before many years. Rhode Island was the first state to send statues, and 
Connecticut and New York followed. The collection at present is as 
follows : Rhode Island, statues of Roger Williams and General Nathaniel 
Greene ; Connecticut, statues of Governor Jonathan Trumbull and Roger 
Sherman ; New York, statues of Vice-President George Clinton and 
Chancellor Robert R. Livingston; Massachusetts, statues of Governor John 
Winthrop and Samuel Adams ; Vermont, statues of Colonel Ethan Allen 
and Jacob Collamer ; Maine, statue of Governor William King ; Pennsyl- 



124 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



vania, statues of Robert Fulton and William Muhlenberg. Eleven of 
the statues are of marble and two are of bronze. They are all excellent 
in design and execution. 

The hall also contains a number of statues, busts, and portraits, fur- 
nished by the government. In the collection is a plaster copy of Hou- 
don's statue of Washington, and the marble statue of Lincoln, sculptured 
by Vinnie Ream Hoxie in 1870, and for which she received $15,000. 
There is also Horatio Stone's marble statue of Hamilton, which cost 
$10,000; and a bronze statue of Jefferson by D'Angers, which formerly 
stood on the lawn in front of the Wiiite House. There are busts of Lin- 
coln, Kosciusko, and Thomas Crawford ; and portraits of Washington, 
Jefferson, Lincoln, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Gunning Bedford, Ben- 
jamin West, and Joshua R. Giddings. 

In the basement story of the Capitol are the post-offices of Congress, 
the document and folding rooms, and numerous committee rooms. A 
great quantity of mail matter is handled daily in the post-offices during a 
session of Congress, and a number of clerks and carriers are employed. 
In the document and folding rooms the books and pamphlets printed by 
the government are stored until they are distributed by Congressmen to 

their constituents. The government 
publishes every year about three hun- 
dred different books, some of them 
very large and costly, and each Con- 
gressman is entitled to a certain num- 
ber. The books are reports of the 
various departments, special reports 
ordered by Congress, Acts of Congress, 
Public Statutes, etc. Over 300,000 
copies of the bulky report of the De- 
partment' of Agriculture are annually 
distributed. To illustrate this work 
usually costs about $30,000, and some 
of the other reports are illustrated at 
a large expense. Dozens of men are 
employed in the document and folding 
rooms in packing books to be sent 
over the- country, and enough printed 
matter to fill three hundred mail-cars 
is forwarded every year. All the books 
and pamphlets are printed and bound 
at the Government Printing-Office. 




THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



125 




HOUDON'S STATUE OF WASHINGTON IN STATUARY HALL. 



In the sub-basement is located the apparatus by which the halls of 
Congress and all parts of the Capitol are heated and ventilated. The 
apparatus consists of four engines and eight boilers, and three enormous 
revolving fans, which draw the air from the outside of the building into 
the ducts which convey it to the halls and rooms. The air is heated after 
it comes from the outside. There is a very ingenious appliance for ascer- 
taining whether the air in the halls of Congress is too dry or too moist, 
and it is regulated by a single human hair six inches long. Perfectly dry 
air is marked at o; air with all the moisture it will hold is marked at 100. 
A dial with a pointer indicates the different degrees from o to 100. The 
hair rapidly absorbs the moisture in the air and becomes shorter when wet, 
and the difference in its length when dry and when wet is indicated on the 
dial by the pointer, which moves back and forth as the moisture of the 
hair varies. If the air is too dry, more steam is turned on ; if too moist, 
less steam is used ; and thus by means of the hair the atmosphere for the 
nation's legislators is kept at a healthful point. 

Below the basement are many dark, gloomy chambers and corridors 



I2 6 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

filled with old models, plaster casts of statues, and refuse of all sorts. 
The subterranean story is a perfect labyrinth of crooks and crannies, cells 
and mysterious recesses, which are dimly lighted by a few gas-jets placed 
at long intervals. In these dismal vaults and passages one could easily 
be lost and wander for days without finding the way out. The young 
wife of a Congressman was lost here some years ago. Curiosity had led 
her to explore the vaults alone, and becoming bewildered by the dark, 
winding passages, she was unable to retrace her steps, and was compelled 
to remain in the silent and desolate region all night. The night was one 
of horror to her, and when she was discovered by her husband the next 
morning it was found that her brown hair had changed to snowy white, 
and that her reason had fled. She recovered her reason, but for many 
years suffered from excessive fear and nervousness. 

The attic story of the Capitol is mainly devoted to the committee 
rooms of Congress. These rooms are handsomely painted and furnished 
and have considerable ornamentation. In the attic are stored great quan- 
tities of government records. Here are all the records of the early Con- 
gresses, and many other ancient documents of historical value. 

The Capitol is open every week-day to visitors, and all parts of it can 
be freely inspected. It is in charge of the official known as the Architect 
of the Capitol, and has a large force of policemen, engineers, firemen, and 
laborers. Many thousands of dollars are expended annually in caring 
for the huge structure. 

How much has the Capitol cost? is often asked. This is a very diffi- 
cult question to answer. Upon the work of construction it is known there 
had been expended up to June 30, 1883, the sum of $15,599,656; but 
what the expenditure has been for statues, paintings, frescos, improving 
and adorning the grounds, etc., it is almost impossible to ascertain. The 
expenditure outside of the construction must have been several millions; 
and it is even declared that at least thirty millions in all have been ex- 
pended on the nation's building during the nearly one hundred years that 
have passed since the laying of its corner-stone. 



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CHAPTER X. 

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS— HISTORY OF THE GREAT NATIONAL COLLECTION OF 
BOOKS— THE PURCHASE OF JEFFERSON'S LIBRARY— THE LIBRARIANS OF CON- 
GRESS—THE LIBRARY HALLS— BOOKS READ BY THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS— 
THE COPYRIGHT LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES. 

N the central projection of the western front of the Capitol is 
the great Library of Congress, which contains 545,000 books 
and 185,000 pamphlets, and which ranks as fifth among the 
prominent libraries of the world. It was originally estab- 
lished as a library of reference for Congress and the high officials of the 
government, but as it grew large and valuable its scope was extended. 
and now it can be properly called the National Public Library, as every 
one is allowed to freely use its rare and extensive collections, and daily 
its rooms are filled with men and women from all parts of the country 
consulting- the books which they can find nowhere else. There is no 
other library in the United States one-half as large and complete as this 
one, and in some of its departments it is fully the equal of any of the 
great libraries of Europe. Its historical collections have a wide, ample 
range, and are particularly comprehensive in everything which pertains to 
America, and in general literature its collections are remarkably full and 
serviceable. 

Congress founded the library in 1802, with some 3000 books care- 
fully selected in London, and John Beckley, of Virginia, then clerk of 
the House of Representatives, was the first librarian. One of its earliest 
friends and supporters was John Randolph, and the eccentric statesman 
always took special pains to secure liberal appropriations for it, and had 
a good deal to do with the selection of its books. When the British 
soldiers invaded the Capitol in 1814 they used the books and papers of 
the library to kindle the fire which destroyed the building. The library 
was stripped of everything it contained, and a large quantity of govern- 
ment records stored in it were burned. Thomas Jefferson had a fine 
library at his mountain home in Virginia, which he had collected during 
his long residence in Europe, and, as he was at that time in financial 
128 



' 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



129 




LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



difficulty,he offered 
to sell his books to 
the government as 
a nucleus for a new 
Library of Con- 
gress. He made 
the proposition in 
September, 18 14, 
and after consider- 
able discussion of 
the matter the 
library was purchased by Congress for $23,950. There were 6000 vol- 
umes, including some rare works of history and philosophy, and also 
" many Bibles and religious works." When the library left Monticello 
for Washington it is said that Jefferson shed tears. He had greatly 
enjoyed the companionship of these books, and nothing but the poverty 
of his old age would have induced him to part with them. 

In 1824 the present main hall of the Library of Congress was finished 
and occupied. It was constructed by Charles Bulfinch after designs by 
Latrobe, and for the first time the library was suitably housed. Previous 
to the completion of the hall, the library had occupied the room now the 
office of the clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States. George 
Watterson, of Washington, was the librarian, and he held the position 
fourteen years. The library developed rapidly in its new quarters, and in 

9 



j , Q THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

1851 it had nearly 60,000 books. Its pleasant hall, with windows over- 
looking the city, became a favorite resort, and was daily filled with ladies 
and gentlemen of the highest society discussing literary matters and social 
events. On December 24, 185 1, a fire, caused by a defective flue, swept 
through the library hall and destroyed over 30,000 books, and also some 
valuable paintings. The hall was reconstructed in 1852 by Thomas U. 
Walter, and two other halls added, nearly $300,000 being expended to 
make the accommodations for the library ample, convenient, and elegant. 
Congress made liberal appropriations from year to year, and the three 
great halls were soon well stocked with books. In 1866 the scientific 
works of the Smithsonian Institution, amounting to 40,000 volumes, were 
deposited in the Library of Congress, which has since continued to be the 
depository of all the publications received by the Smithsonian Institution 
from learned societies throughout the world. In 1S67 Congress purchased 
for $100,000 the collection of rare historical books and pamphlets, files of 
newspapers, maps, engravings, etc., accumulated by Peter Force, of Wash- 
ington, during thirty years of antiquarian research. The Force collection 
now forms a very valuable department of the Library of Congress. From 
1829 to 1861 the librarian was John S. Meehan, of New York, and from 
1 861 to 1864, John G. Stephenson, of Indiana. In 1864, President Lincoln 
appointed as librarian Ainsworth R. Spofford, of Ohio, and he has con- 
tinued in, the position to the present time. In 1876 the library contained 
293,000 volumes, and in 1879 more than 352,000. Since then the yearly 
increase has been large, and the library halls are now so crowded that a 
number of rooms in the basement of the Capitol have to be used to store 
the books. It is likely that within a short time a magnificent new build- 
ing, with shelf-room for a million and a half volumes, will be erected, at a 
cost of $3,000,000, expressly for the use of this inestimable library. 

The law library of the government is a part of the Library of Congress. 
It contains 60,000 volumes, and is the largest of its kind in the United 
States. Since 1859 it has occupied the old chamber of the Supreme 
Court in the basement of the Capitol. 

The halls of the Library of Congress are constructed of iron and 
glass, and are prettily ornamented in gold and delicate colors. The main 
hall is ninety-one feet long, thirty-four feet wide, and thirty-eight feet 
high ; and the two other halls are of nearly the same size. The library 
is in charge of an official with the title of " Librarian of Congress." He 
is an officer of Congress, and has charge of the copyright business of the 
government. His salary is $4000 per year, and he has two assistants with 
salaries of $2500, two assistants with salaries of $1800, and nineteen 
assistants and employes with salaries ranging from $1400 to $480. The 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



131 



entire salary list is $38,320. "" The library is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Members of Congress and certain officials of the government have the 
right to take books out of the library, and other persons can secure the 
privilege by depositing the money value of the books. Every one has the 
right to use the library freely within the halls. 

There are about five thousand books out of the library all the time, 
and most of them are in the possession of members of Congress. Senators 
read a great many books relating to treaties and commercial relations with 
foreign nations, and books upon finance, political economy, and social 
questions are constantly demanded by the members of both houses. Some 
Congressmen are very fond of fiction and poetry, and read all the latest 
works ; others are all the time se'eking historical information, and reading 
of the views and actions of the great men of the country in the early days. 
Many of the wives of Senators and Representatives, notwithstanding the 
demands made upon them during the social season, read a large number 
of books, and some of the wives earnestly study historical and political 
questions expressly for the purpose of aiding their husbands in their public 
duties ; and even young ladies aid their fathers in this way. The families 
of Congressmen read all the popular books upon art and household 
decoration, and upon social customs at home and abroad, and there is also 
?• great deal of novel reading in these circles. The American and English 
poets are extensively read, and not a few of the nation's legislators and 
their women folk are careful readers and ardent admirers of the classic poets. 

Almost any day one can see in the library a number of men of national 
reputation busily reading at tables covered with books. There is no 
restriction in this library as to the 
number of books one can obtain at a 
time. The attendants are courteous 
and ready, and will bring to a reader 
all the works on a subject that have 
been published for a hundred years, if 
they are wanted; for it is a remarkable 
fact'that upon many subjects this library 
has every book that has ever come from 
;* press for a century, — books in twenty 
languages ; books good, bad, and indif- 
ferent. On these crowded shelves the 
works of great and little authors jostle 
each other, — productions which have 
long been the admiration of the world AINSW0RTH R< SPOFFORD> LIBRARIAN 
and those of brief life and remembrance. of congress.. 




!32 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

Congress annually appropriates about $54,000 for the expenses of the 
library. From 40,000 to 50,000 books and pamphlets are added each year 
by purchase, gift, and exchange, and by the operation of the copyright 
laws. Many publications are purchased at the sales of private libraries, 
and many publications are donated by patriotic citizens. Files of the 
leading American, English, French, and German newspapers and periodi- 
cals are preserved. The collection of ancient periodicals is very large and 
valuable. / 

In the library all the records of the copyright office are preserved. 
The copyright business was transferred from the Patent Office to the 
Library of Congress in 1870. The following is a summary of the laws 
of copyright under the revised acts of Congress, as prepared by the 
Librarian of Congress expressly for public use : 

A printed copy of the title of the book, map, chart, dramatic or musical 
composition, engraving, cut, print, photograph, or a description of the 
painting, drawing, chromo, statue, statuary, or model or design for a work 
of the fine arts, for which copyright is desired, must be sent by mail or 
otherwise, prepaid, addressed Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C. 
This must be done before publication of the book or other article. The 
printed title required may be a copy of the title-page of such publications 
as have title-pages. In other cases, the title must be printed expressly for 
copyright entry, with name of claimant of copyright. The style of type 
is immaterial, and the print of a type-writer will be accepted. But a 
separate title is required for each entry, and each title must be printed on 
paper as large as commercial note. A fee of fifty cents, for recording the 
title of each book or other article, must be enclosed with the title as above, 
and fifty cents in addition (or one dollar in all) for each certificate of copy- 
right under seal of the Librarian of Congress, which will be transmitted 
by early mail. Within ten days after publication of each book or other 
article, two complete copies of the best edition issued must be sent, to 
perfect the copyright, with the address Librarian of Congress, Washington, 
D. C. The postage must be prepaid, or else the publications enclosed in 
parcels covered by printed Penalty Labels, furnished by the Librarian, in 
which case they will come free by mail, according to rulings of the Post- 
Office Department. Without the deposit of copies above required tilt 
copyright is void, and a penalty of $25 is incurred. No copy is required 
to be deposited elsewhere. 

No copyright is valid unless notice is given by inserting in every copy 
published, on the title-page or the page following, if it be a book; or, 
if a map, chart, musical composition, print, cut, engraving, photograph, 
painting, drawing, chromo, statue, statuary, or model or design intended 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



133 



SM^^ 




,',/3&F&£j j 



STATUS OF GENERAL RAWLINS. 



to be perfected as a work of the fine arts, by inscribing upon some portion 
thereof, or on the substance on which the same is mounted, the following 

words, viz. : " Entered according to act of Congress, in the year , by 

-, in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington" or at the 



option of the person entering the copyright, the words, " Copyright, 18 — , 

by ." The law imposes a penalty of $100 upon any person who 

has not obtained copyright who shall insert the notice, " Entered according 
to act of Congress" or " Copyright" etc., or words of the same import, in 



134 



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or upon any book or other article. Any author may reserve the right to 
translate or to dramatize his own work. In this case notice should be 
given by printing the words, " Right of translation reserved,'" or "All rights 
reserved," below the notice of copyright entry, and notifying the Librarian 
of Congress of such reservation, to be entered upon the record. 

The original term of copyright runs for twenty-eight years. Within 
six mouths before the end of that time the author or designer, or his widow 
or children, may secure a renewal for the further term of fourteen years, 
making forty-two years in all. Applications for renewal must be accom- 
panied by explicit statement of ownership, in the case of the author, or 
of relationship, in the case of his heirs, and must state definitely the date 
and place of entry of the original copyright. 

The time within which any work entered for copyright may be issued 
from the press is not limited by any law or regulation, but depends upon 




STATUE OF ADMIRAL DUPONT. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. ,„ 

the discretion of the proprietor. A copyright may be secured for a pro- 
jected work as well as for a completed one. 

A copyright is assignable in law by any instrument of writing, but 
such assignment must be recorded in the office of the Librarian of 
Congress within sixty days from its date. The fee for this record and 
certificate is one dollar, and for a certified copy of any record of assign- 
ment, one dollar. A copy of the record (or duplicate certificate) of any 
copyright entry will be furnished, under seal, at the rate of fifty cents 
each. 

In the case of books published in more than one volume, or of 
periodicals published in numbers, or of engravings, photographs, or other 
articles published with variations, a copyright is to be entered for each 
volume or part of a book, or number of a periodical, or variety, as to 
style, title, or inscription of any other article. 

To secure a copyright for a painting, statue, or model or design in- 
tended to be perfected as a work of the fine arts, so as to prevent infringe- 
ment by copying, engraving, or vending such design, a definite description 
must accompany the application for copyright, and a photograph of the 
same, at least as large as " cabinet size," should be mailed to the Librarian 
of Congress within ten days from the completion of the work or design. 
Copyrights cannot be granted upon trade-marks, nor upon mere names 
of companies or articles, nor upon prints or labels intended to be used 
with any article of manufacture. If protection for such names or labels 
is desired, application must be made to the Patent Office, where they are 
registered at a fee of $5 for labels and $25 for trade-marks. 

Citizens or residents of the United States only are entitled to copy- 
right. Every applicant for a copyright should state distinctly the full 
name and residence of the claimant, and whether the right is claimed as 
author, designer, or proprietor. No affidavit or formal application is 
required. 




CHAPTER XI. 

THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES— THE COURT-CHAMBER— MEMBERS OF 
THE COURT— ANCIENT OFFICIAL COSTUME— THE COURT IN SESSION— LIST OF 
CHIEF JUSTICES FROM THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COURT TO THE PRESENT 
TIME. 

HE Supreme Court of the United States holds its sessions in 
the chamber of the Capitol originally constructed for the use 
of the Senate. The chamber was designed by Latrobe, and 
is a fine testimonial of his skill and taste. It is a pure ex- 
ample of classic architecture, and has been declared the most beautiful 
small court-chamber in the world. It is semicircular in form, and its 
greatest length is seventy-five feet, and its greatest width and height forty- 
five feet. The ceiling is a portion of the interior of a low dome. There 
is a wide arch over the judicial bench, and back of the bench is a series 
of columns of variegated marble with white marble capitals. The walls 
are supported by marble pilasters, and on the walls are marble busts of 
the six deceased Chief Justices. The central part of the chamber is 
arranged for the use of lawyers attending the court, and has mahogany 
chairs and tables, some of which were used by eminent Senators half a 
century ago. At the sides of the chamber are seats upholstered in red 
velvet for visitors. The Senate first occupied this chamber in November, 
1800, and, with the exception of the time during which the Capitol was 
being reconstructed after the British invasion, continued in occupancy 
until December, 1859, when the new Senate chamber was taken posses- 
sion of. The Supreme Court began its sessions here in i860. 

The court is in session from the second Monday in October to the 
early part of May of each year, and usually sits five days in the week, 
Saturday being reserved for consultation about cases. The Chief Justice 
has a salary of $10,500 per year, and the eight Associate Justices have 
salaries of $10,000. All the justices are appointed by the President and 
confirmed by the Senate, and hold their positions for life, or, as the Consti- 
tution of the United States says, " during good behavior." When a jus- 
tice has reached the age of seventy, if he has been on the bench for ten 

i37 



i 3 8 



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years, he may retire, and his full salary is paid to him during the re- 
mainder of his life. The court hears all cases appealed from the United 
States circuit and district courts, and gives the final decision upon them. 
It also decides finally all constitutional questions. The court at present 
consists of Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite, of Ohio, who was appointed 
by President Grant in January, 1874; and Associate Justices Samuel F. 
Miller, of Iowa ; Stephen J. Field, of California ; Joseph P. Bradley, of New 
Jersey; John M. Harlan, of Kentucky; William B. Woods, of Georgia; 
Stanley Matthews, of Ohio; Horace Gray, of Massachusetts; and Samuel 
Blatchford, of New York. 

Justices Miller and Field are the senior justices, and they sit on the 
bench at the right and left of the Chief Justice. They were appointed by 
President Lincoln in 1862 and 1863, respectively. Justice Bradley was 
appointed by President Grant in 1870, and Justices Harlan and Woods by 
President Hayes in 1877 and 1880, respectively. Justice Matthews was 
originally appointed by President Hayes, but the Senate failed to confirm 
his appointment, and he was afterwards reappointed by President Garfield 
in 1 88 1. Justices Gray and Blatchford were appointed by President 
Arthur in 1881 and 1882, respectively. 

When the court was first established the justices wore long black silk 
gowns, knee-breeches, silk stockings, and low shoes adorned with great 
silver buckles. They also donned white wigs of the "pig-tail" style. 
This official costume was continued for many years, or until the time of 
Chief Justice Taney, who is said to have been the first justice to give " a 
decision in pantaloons." At the present time the justices wear black suits 
covered with the time-honored silk gowns. The formal court customs 
which prevailed in the first part of the century have been also laid aside 
with the wigs and small-clothes and silver buckles, and the customs of 
to-day are very simple. 

The clerk of the court is James H. McKenney, of the District of 
Columbia. He was appointed in 1880, and has a salary of $6000 per 
year. The marshal is John G. Nicolay, of Illinois. He was the private 
secretary of President Lincoln, and was appointed 
to his present position in 1872. His salary is $3000. 
The court reporter is J. C. Bancroft Davis, of New 
York. He was appointed in 1883, and has a salary 
of #5700. 

Each day's session of the court begins promptly 

at noon and continues without intermission until 

four o'clock. When the nine justices enter the 

court seal. court-chamber from the robing-room the marshal 





JUSTICES OF THE SUPREME COURT. 



i. Justice Gray. 

2. Justice Harlan. 

3. Justice Matthews. 



4. Justice Miller. 

5. Chief Justice Waite. 

6. Justice Field. 



7. Justice Woods. 

8. Justice Bradley. 

9. Justice Blatchford. 



I40 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

requests all persons present to rise, and then makes this announcement : 
" The Honorable the Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Supreme 
Court of the United States." The justices range themselves on the bench 
in the order of their appointment, with the Chief Justice in the centre. 
They salute those present very politely and then seat themselves. The 
ancient formula is then uttered by the court-crier, " Oyez ! Oyez ! Oyez ! 
All persons having business before the honorable Supreme Court of the 
United States are admonished to draw near and give their attention, for 
the court is now sitting. God save the United States and this honorable 
court." 

The court business begins immediately after the crier has made his 
announcement. If there is no decision to be read by any of the justices, 
the first case on the docket of the day is taken up, and the justices sit back 
in their comfortable chairs to listen to the arguments of the lawyers. As 
a case progresses questions are asked by the Chief Justice or the other 
members of the court, books are consulted, and the pages of briefs turned 
over. Patient attention is paid to the arguments, and all the members of 
this high tribunal are very courteous and pleasant in their intercourse with 
the lawyers. As soon as the hands of the clock over the long judicial 
bench point to four the court is adjourned for the day, and the justices 
march out to the robing-room, where colored attendants remove their 
silken robes. Every Saturday the justices meet in the consultation room 
to consider the cases submitted to them. The cases are all considered by 
the full bench, but when a decision is reached one justice is designated to 
put it in form to be publicly announced. At each annual session of the 
court there are more than one thousand cases on the dockets, and about 
four hundred are added yearly. 

On the day the court begins its annual session the justices make a 
ceremonious call upon the President, and also pay their respects to him 
on New Year's day. In the latter part of the winter the President gives 
a grand dinner at the White House to the members of the court and 
their wives. 

Congress created the Supreme Court by act of September 24, 1789, 
and the court assembled in February, 1790. President Washington ap- 
pointed as the first Chief Justice the famous statesman, John Jay, of New 
York, who was then but forty-four years old. There were five Associate 
Justices, as follows: John Rutledge, of South Carolina; William Cushing, 
of Massachusetts ; James Wilson, of Pennsylvania ; John Blair, of Vir- 
ginia; and James Iredell, of North Carolina. The official seal adopted 
was " the arms of the United States engraven on a circular piece of steel 
of the size of a dollar, with these words on the margin, ' Seal of the 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. I , l 

Supreme Court of the United States.' " During the first twenty years of 
the court it had very little business. From 1820 to 1840 the cases sub- 
mitted to it averaged only about fifty-five a year. After i860 the court 
dockets became crowded, and now suitors have to wait a long time for a 
hearing. Most of the new cases entered are not likely to be heard under 
four or five years. 

Chief Justice Jay was on the bench until 1795. John Rutledge, of 
South Carolina, was appointed to succeed him, and presided during one 
term of the court,, but was not confirmed by the Senate. Washington 
then appointed William Cushing, who was the senior Associate Justice, 
but Cushing only retained his commission a few days, and never acted 
as Chief Justice. ■ His name, therefore, is not placed in the list of Chief 
Justices. In 1 796, Oliver Ellsworth, of Connecticut, was appointed, and 
remained as Chief Justice until 1801, when he resigned, and John Mar- 
shall, of Virginia, became the head of the Supreme Court. Marshall had 
been a soldier in the Revolution, a Representative in Congress, Minister 
to France, and Secretary of State during the last year of President John 
Adams' administration. When he became Chief Justice he was forty-six 
years old. From 1801 until 1835 he presided over the court, and it has 
been said that " it was he who established the power of the Supreme 
Court as we recognize it at the present day. It was he who, more than 
any other man of his time, carried forward the work of the Constitution 
in welding the loose league of states into a compact, powerful nationality." 
His decisions, contained in thirty-two volumes of the court reports, gave 
him a prominent place among the great jurists of the world. 

Chief Justice Marshall was tall and awkward, and had homely features 
and a small head. He had little, twinkling eyes which often had a merry 
look, and he dearly loved a hearty laugh. He was gentle in speech and 
engaging in manner, and entirely free from pride of office. He was very 
careless in dress, and his clothes usually looked as if they had come 
" from the wardrobe of some antiquated slop-shop." When he attended 
the circuit courts he rode in a one-horse gig without an attendant, and 
few who saw the shabby-looking traveller would have believed he was 
" the great Chief Justice," as he was called. He daily visited the Center 
Market when in Washington to purchase his household supplies, and it is 
related by Justice Story that " one morning while doing his marketing he 
came across a young Virginia blood who was swearing loudly because he 
could hire no one to take home his turkey. Marshall stepped up and, 
ascertaining of him where he lived, replied, ' That is in my way, and I 
will take it for you.' When he arrived at the dwelling the young man 
inquired, 'What shall I pay you?' 'Oh, nothing,' was the rejoinder; 



I4 2 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

' you are welcome. It was in my way, and no trouble.' ' Who was that 
polite old gentleman who brought home my turkey for me ?' inquired the 
other of a bystander, as Marshall stepped away. 'That,' replied he, 'is 
John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States.' " 

After the death of Marshall, in 1835, President Jackson nominated 
Roger B. Taney, of Maryland, to be Chief Justice. The nomination was 
confirmed at once by the Senate, and Chief Justice Taney sat on the 
bench for twenty-eight years. He had been the leading lawyer of the 
Maryland bar, and was a man of great ability. He died in 1864, and 
Salmon P. Chase, of Ohio, became Chief Justice, but only remained in 
office a little more than nine years. Chase died in 1873, and a few 
months after his death the present Chief Justice was appointed. 

During the existence of the court there have been forty-three Asso- 
ciate Justices. The eminent jurist, Joseph Story, was a member of the 
court thirty-four years, and Bushrod Washington, a nephew of President 
Washington, was a member thirty-one years. John Catron served twenty- 
eight years; John McLean and James M. Wayne, thirty-two years; 
Samuel Nelson, twenty-seven years ; Robert C. Grier and Nathan Clifford, 
twenty-three years ; Noah H. Swayne, twenty years ; and David Davis, 
fifteen years. 





CHAPTER XII. 

THE HALLS OF CONGRESS— VARIOUS WORKS OF ART IN THE EXTENSIONS OF THE 
CAPITOL— HOW THE ANCIENT HALLS OF LEGISLATION APPEARED— THE ANNUAL 
SESSIONS OF CONGRESS— PRINCIPAL OFFICIALS OF BOTH HOUSES— DETAILS OF 
THE NATIONAL LEGISLATURE. 

JONGRESS occupies the extensions of the Capitol, or the north 
and south wings. In these wings the two halls of legislation 
are arranged in the form of squares, with capacious lobbies 
-* and galleries extending entirely around them. The Senate 
chamber is in the north wing, and the hall of the House of Representa- 
tives is in the south wing. Both wings are constructed of marble and iron, 
and have rich and tasteful ornamentation. The Senate chamber is one 
hundred and twelve feet long, eighty-two feet wide, and thirty feet high. 
It has a ceiling of iron girders and cross-pieces with glass panels, on which 
are painted various national emblems. The walls have pilasters, niches, and 
wide panels, and are finely painted and decorated in gold and buff. The 
floor is covered with a costly carpet, and arranged in concentric semi- 
circles on the floor are the desks and chairs of the Senators. All the 
desks are of the finest mahogany, and some of them were used in the old 
Senate chamber by the famous Senators of by-gone days. Each desk 
has on its front a silver plate inscribed with the name of the occupant. 
The chairs are of various styles and material to suit the fancy of the 
Senators. The President of the Senate sits on a small platform or dais, 
and in front of his chair is a wide desk. At his right sits the sergeant- 
at-arms, and at his left sits the assistant door-keeper. The desk of the 
Senate clerks and the tables of the official reporters are in front of the 
desk of the presiding officer. The chamber has large galleries which 
will seat upwards of iooo persons. There is a gallery reserved for the 
members of the foreign legations residing in Washington, and galleries 
for the families and friends of the Senators. There is also a gallery for 
the reporters of the press, which is directly over the chair of the presiding 
officer, and galleries for the public. When an important debate is going 
on the galleries will be crowded, but on ordinary occasions there is plenty 
144 



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H5 



of room for spectators. The chamber has a magnificent appearance, but 
in size it does not compare with the hall of the House of Representatives, 
which is the largest legislative hall in the world. The Senate first 
occupied the chamber on January 4, 1859. 

A lobby extends along the back of the chamber, and leading from it 
is the " marble room" where Senators receive visitors, and where consul- 
tations are held. Every part of the room is of marble. The rooms of 
the President and Vice-President of the United States are near the marble 




THE SENATE MARBLE ROOM. 
IO 



146 



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room. The President's room is richly decorated, and on the walls are 
finely-executed frescos of President Washington and the members of his 
first Cabinet. The room is used by the President on the closing day of 
each session of Congress for the purpose of examining and signing the 
bills that are passed. The Vice-President's room is handsomely furnished. 
Here is the celebrated painting of Washington, by Rembrandt Peale, which 
the government purchased in 1832 for $25,000. 

The eastern and western grand staircases, which lead to the Senate 
galleries from the main floor, are very beautiful. They are of fine polished 
marble, and have ponderous pillars and balustrades. A marble statue of 
Benjamin Franklin, by Hiram Powers, stands at the foot of the eastern 
staircase, and on the wall, over the first landing, is a mammoth painting 
of " Perry's Victory on Lake Erie," by W. H. Powell. The painting cost 
$25,000, and is one of the finest in the Capitol. It gives a spirited 
delineation of Commodore Perry's heroic act of transferring his flag 
from the disabled ship, the " Lawrence," to the " Niagara." The boat 
containing Perry and his little brother and a brave crew was exposed to 
a furious cannonading by the British fleet during the fifteen minutes 
required for the perilous voyage, but Perry succeeded in hoisting his flag 
on the " Niagara." This act inspired the Americans with fresh courage, 
and by a prompt movement they scattered the British fleet and won the 
victory. 

There is a marble statue of John Hancock, by Horatio Stone, at the 
foot of the western staircase. On the wall of the landing is James 
Walker's painting of " The Storming of Chapultepec by General Scott's 
troops." 

The hall of the House of Representatives is one hundred and thirty- 
nine feet long, ninety-three feet wide, and thirty-six feet high. It has a 
ceiling similar to that of the Senate chamber, but on the glass panels are 
the coats of arms of the states. The great size of the hall and its elegant 
ornamentation give it a grand appearance. When there is a night session 
of the House the hall is beautifully illuminated by 1500 gas-jets, placed 
back of the ceiling. The desks and chairs of the Representatives fill the 
greater part of the floor. The Speaker of the House sits behind a white 
marble table, on a platform elevated about four feet from the floor, and at 
his right hand, on a marble pedestal, is his symbol of authority, the time- 
honored mace. The mace was adopted by the House in the First Con- 
gress, and has been in use ever since. When it is placed on its pedestal 
it signifies that the House is in session and under the Speaker's a' L'hority ; 
when it is placed on the floor, that the House is in committ : of the 
whole. The mace is a bundle of black rods fastened with I an 



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1 47 




THE SENATE LOBBY. 



bands of silver, like the Roman fasces. On its top is a silver globe sur- 
mounted by a silver eagle. When the sergeant-at-arms is executing the 
commands of the Speaker he is required to bear aloft the mace in his 
hands. 

In front of the Speaker's table are marble desks for the House clerks 
and reporters. On the wall to the right and left of the Speaker's table are 
large paintings by Bierstadt, representing the "Settlement of California," 
and the " Discovery of the Hudson River ;" and there are also paintings 
of Washington and Lafayette by Vanderlyn and Ary Scheffer respectively. 
A fresco of " Washington at Yorktown," by Brumidi, also adorns the 
walls. Above the Speaker's table is the gallery for the press reporters. 
There are other galleries with accommodations for 1300 persons. The 
House first occupied this hall on December 16, 1857. 

At the rear of the hall is the members' lobby, on the walls of which 
are portraits of past Speakers. Opening from the lobby is the retiring- 
room, which is large and handsomely furnished. Rooms, for the various 
officials of the House open from the main corridor. 

Las*. , ->g from the corridor are grand staircases similar to those of the 

Se- v 'here is a marble statue of Jefferson, by Hiram Powers, at the 

fn eastern staircase, and on the wall of the landing hangs the 



148 



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GRAND STAIRCASE IN SENATE EXTENSION OF THE CAPITOL. 



painting, by Frank B. Carpenter, of " President Lincoln signing the Proc- 
lamation of Emancipation." The painting was sold by the artist for 
$25,000 to Mary E. Thompson, who presented it to the government 
February 12, 1878. 

The wall of the western staircase is ornamented with a huge chromo- 
silica, which represents a party of emigrants crossing the Rocky Moun- 
tains. It was painted by Emanuel Leutze, and cost $20,000. Below this 
chromo is one by Bierstadt, representing the entrance to the harbor of 
San Francisco. A bronze bust of a chief of the Chippewa Indians stands 
on a marble pedestal at the foot of the staircase. 

The Congress of the United States has met annually at Washington 
since the 17th of November, 1800. On that day the second s<- of 

the Sixth Congress was begun in the partly finished Capitol, ar 



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149 



22d of November the building was formally dedicated to national legis- 
lation. Previous to 1800 the sessions of Congress had been held at New 
York and Philadelphia. When the Capitol was first occupied it was a 
poorly constructed, inconvenient building, and it was not until 1808 that 
Congress had suitable accommodations. In that year what is now the 
central part of the Capitol (with the exception of the rotunda and its pro- 
jections) was completed, and the House of Representatives, which had 
met for several sessions in small apartments, — one of which was facetiously 
designated as " the oven," — was enabled to occupy the beautiful hall 
especially constructed for it. The Senate had occupied its chamber from 
the first, but the chamber was altered and improved from year to year. 
Until the British troops invaded the Capitol in the summer of 18 14 and 
fired the " harbor of Yankee Democracy," Congress continued its sessions 
in the building. The fire only destroyed the interior of the Capitol, very 
little damage being done to the walls and foundations. While Latrobe 
was engaged in the work of reconstruction, from 181 5 to 18 17, Congress 
met in Blodget's " Great Hotel" for one session, and afterwards in a brick 
building, erected by citizens of Washington, adjacent to the eastern grounds 
of the Capitol. This building was called the " Old Capitol," and during 
the Civil War was known as the " Old Capitol Prison," as it was used as 
a place of confinement for Confederates. The picture of the building 
which is presented in this chapter was drawn from a photograph taken by 




PAINTING, " PERRY'S VICTORY ON LAKE ERIE," IN SENATE EXTENSION. 



i5o 



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the War Department in 1864. The building is at present used for resi- 
dences, having been considerably reconstructed. 

After the original halls of Congress were restored they were used for 
legislative purposes for some forty years, or until the present halls in the 
extensions of the Capitol were completed. The old Senate chamber, now 
used by the Supreme Court, can thus be described : On a small platform 
in the centre of the screen of marble columns at the back of the chamber 
was the chair of the President of the Senate, and in front of his chair 
were the desks of the Senate officials. Above the screen of columns was 
a small gallery, and another gallery, supported by large iron columns and 
with a gilded iron balustrade, extended around the chamber. Over the 
gallery on the east was a great painting of Washington, by Charles Wilson 
Peale, which was set in a deep gilt frame and handsomely draped. The fine 
mahogany desks and chairs of the Senators filled the central part of the 
chamber, and were arranged in concentric circles. Outside of the railing 
which enclosed the desks were large, comfortable sofas for distinguished 
visitors. At night a large chandelier gave brilliant illumination. In this 
chamber Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, Lewis Cass, 
Thomas Hart Benton, and other famous Senators of the first part of the 
century performed their legislative work and made many of their most 
celebrated speeches. 

The old hall of the House of Representatives, now the National 
Statuary Hall, appeared as follows in the latter years of its use by the 
House : The Speaker's chair and table stood on a rostrum four feet 
from the floor, and back of the rostrum were crimson curtains, hanging in 
folds from the capitals of the ponderous marble columns which supported 
the great arch of the hall. The clerk's desk stood below the rostrum, and 
between the columns were sofas and tables for the reporters. The Rep- 
resentatives were provided with mahogany desks and wide arm-chairs, 
which were arranged in concentric circles. The hall could accommodate 
two hundred and fifty members. A bronzed iron railing with curtains 
enclosed the outer row of desks, and this constituted the bar of the House. 
Beyond the railing was the members' lobby, and above the lobby were 
galleries seating about five hundred persons. One of the galleries was 
reserved for ladies, and in two of its panels were paintings of Washington 
and Lafayette, which now hang in the present hall of the House. Under 
the paintings were large copies of the Declaration of Independence in 
frames ornamented with national emblems. The hall was lighted by a 
chandelier, which hung from the centre of the domed ceiling. 

Congress at present has four hundred and nine members. The Senate 
is composed of seventy-six Senators, two from each state ; and the House 



152 



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of Representatives is composed of three hundred and twenty-five Repre- 
sentatives. Eight Delegates who represent the eight territories are also 
allowed seats in the House, but cannot vote. They receive the same 
compensation as the other members of Congress. The Senators are 
elected by the state legislatures for a term of six years, and the Repre- 
sentatives and Delegates are elected by the people for two years. Each 

Congress is designated by a number, and 
has a legislative existence of two years, 
during which time there are two regular 
sessions, termed the " long session" and 
the " short session." The long session is 
held in the first year of each Congress, and 
usually continues six months or more, as 
may be desired; the short session is held 
in the second year, and by law expires at 
noon on the 4th of March. Congress 
meets annually on the first Monday in 
December. There have been forty-eight 
Congresses from March 4, 1789, when the 
First Congress of the United States met at 
New York, to March 4, 1885. 

The states are entitled to representation 
in Congress according to their population. 
At present the ratio of representation, 
under the tenth census, is one Representa- 
tive for each 154,325 people. Until the 
eleventh census is taken, in 1890, the ap- 
portionment of Representatives will be as 
follows: Alabama, eight; Arkansas, five; 
California, six ; Colorado, one ; Connec- 
ticut, four; Delaware, one; Florida, two; 
Georgia, ten; Illinois, twenty; Indiana, 
thirteen ; Iowa, eleven ; Kansas, seven ; 
Kentucky, eleven ; Louisiana, six; Maine, 
four; Maryland, six; Massachusetts, twelve; 
Michigan, eleven ; Minnesota, five ; Missis- 
sippi, seven ; Missouri, fourteen ; Nebraska, 
three ; Nevada, one ; New Hampshire, two ; 
New Jersey, seven ; New York, thirty-four ; 
North Carolina, nine ; Ohio, twenty-one ; 
Oregon, one; Pennsylvania, twenty-eight; 




THE SPEAKER S MACE. 



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153 




REPRESENTATIVES RETIRING-ROOM. 



Rhode Island, two ; South Carolina, seven ; Tennessee, ten ; Texas, eleven ; 
Vermont, two; Virginia, ten; West Virginia, four; Wisconsin, nine. 

Each member of Congress has a salary of $5000 per year, payable 
monthly. The President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of 
the House of Representatives have extra salaries of $3000, or $8000 in 
all. The members are allowed mileage of twenty cents per mile to and 
from Washington each annual session, and also have an allowance of $125 
per year for newspapers and stationery. The amount expended yearly 
for the salaries of Senators is $380,000; for Representatives and Dele- 
gates, $1,665,000. The amount expended for mileage is $143,624, and 
for newspapers and stationery, about $70,000. There are many high 
salaried officials connected with Congress, and the miscellaneous expenses 
are large. The cost of an annual session is nearly three million dollars. 

The Vice-President of the United States is empowered by the Consti- 
tution to act as President of the Senate, " but shall have no vote unless 
they are equally divided." The Senate is empowered to choose a Presi- 
dent pro tempore, who presides in the absence of the Vice-President. The 
other principal officers of the Senate are as follows : Chaplain with a 
yearly salary of $900 ; secretary, with $4896 ; chief clerk and financial 
clerk, with $3000 each ; executive clerk, principal clerk, minute and 



154 



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journal clerk, and enrolling clerk, with $2592 each ; sergeant-at-arms and 
door-keeper, with $4320; two assistant door-keepers, with $2592 each; 
principal book-keeper, with $4320, and two assistant book-keepers, with 
$2592 each; postmaster, with $2250; librarian, with $2220; keeper of 
stationery, with $2102; and superintendents of folding-room and docu- 
ment-room, with $2160 each. There are also numerous clerks, door- 
keepers, messengers, pages, and other employes, all of whom have large 
salaries. 

The proceedings of the Senate are reported in short hand, at an 
expense of $25,000 per year. The full amount is paid to the chief 
official reporter, who contracts to perform the work. He employs four 
assistants and a number of copyists. The present system of verbatim 
reporting was begun in 1848, and has been continued at each session 
since that year. 

The House of Representatives elects its Speaker at the beginning of 
each Congress, and he holds the office during the legislative period of the 
Congress. The Speaker is provided with a private secretary, who has a 
salary of $1800, and there are also a Speaker's clerk and a clerk to the 
Speaker's table, whose salaries are $1600 and $1400 respectively. The 
House has a chaplain with a salary of $900, a principal clerk with $4500, 



v * 




OLD CAPITOL PRISON IN 1 864. 



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155 



and nine other clerks with salaries ranging from $3000 to $2240. There 
are also ten assistant clerks with from $2000 to $1440. The sergeant-at- 
arms and his deputy have salaries of $4000 and $2000 respectively. 
There is a principal door-keeper with $2500, and there are numerous 
other door-keepers with from $2000 to $1200. The force of messengers, 
pages, committee clerks, etc., is large and well paid. 

There are five official reporters of the House. The chief reporter has 
a salary of $6000, and the others $5000 each. Verbatim reporting was 
first introduced in the House in 1850. It is an exceedingly difficult task. 
At first sight one would hardly believe the most expert reporters could 
catch all the rapid speeches that are made during an important debate 
and all the proceedings in the great hall during a day of intense excite- 
ment, but the work is done day after day with remarkable accuracy. The 
reports of both the Senate and House are printed in the official publica- 
tion called The Congressional Record, which is issued every morning from 
the Government Printing-Office during the session of Congress, and sup- 
plied to the members of both houses. The annual cost of this publication 
is nearly $200,000. 

Congress assembles daily at noon. Each house is opened with prayer 
by the chaplain, and then follows what is called "the morning hour," when 
bills, petitions, and reports are presented. After the morning hour bills 
are. taken from the regular or special calendars and discussed. The 
House has many complicated rules and practices which often greatly 
retard its business. Usually the day's session closes about five o'clock. 
During the latter part of an annual session there are frequent meetings in 
the evening. 



17' 





CHAPTER XIII. 

THE WHITE HOUSE— ITS ARCHITECT AND HIS WORK— THE EARLY OCCUPANTS OF THE 
PRESIDENTIAL RESIDENCE— MRS. MADISON'S DINNER FOR THE BRITISH SOLDIERS 
—AFTER THE FIRE OF 1814— PRESIDENT MONROE'S FIRST PUBLIC RECEPTION- 
LATER HISTORY— THE GROUNDS AND ROOMS OF THE WHITE HOUSE— THE ANNUAL 
EXPENDITURE FOR THE PUBLIC BUSINESS. 

JHE plain, classic building in which all the Presidents of the 
United States, except Washington, have resided during their 
official terms, is always an object of interest. The Executive 
Mansion, or, as every one calls it, the White House, was the 
first public building erected at the national capital, and when the seat of 
government was transferred from Philadelphia to Washington, in October, 
1800, President John Adams was able to set up his lares and penates 
very comfortably in the new official home. To be sure, Mrs. Adams 
complained that there were no bells in the great house to summon the 
servants, and that it required many blazing fires to keep off the dampness, 
but she was well pleased with the spacious, elegant apartments, and 
diligently set to work, good housewife that she was, to make everything 
as pleasant as possible. 

The White House was designed and constructed by James Hoban, a 
talented young architect who had come to the United States from Ireland 
at the close of the American Revolution, and had resided for a while at 
Charleston, South Carolina, before going to Washington. In March, 
1 792,' the commissioners who had charge of the new capital city adver- 
tised 4n the New York and Philadelphia newspapers for a plan " for a 
President's House, to be erected in the city of Washington," offering for 
the most approved plan "a premium of $500, or a medal of that value, at 
the option of the party." This liberal premium, for $500 was a goodly 
sum in the last century, brought out a dozen or more of plans for the 
President's House, but the plan submitted by James Hoban was the 
favored one. In fact, the commissioners were so greatly attracted toward 
the bright young Irishman, that they not only accepted his plan and 
awarded him the premium (he took the money and not the medal), but 
they gave him full and absolute authority to construct the house at a 

i57 



i 5 8 



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large salary. Hoban's plan was 
not original in its main features. 
He closely copied the plan of the 
palace of the Duke of Leinster, 
at Dublin ; and the White House, 
as it stands to-day, is almost a 
counterpart of that palace. 




On the 13th of October, 1792, 
the corner-stone of the White House 
was laid with Masonic ceremony. 
Hoban went to work at once. He 
secured all the sandstone required 
for the walls of the building from a 
quarry in Virginia (they didn't know 
anything about marble in those days, 
although the hills of Virginia and 
Maryland, adjacent to the District 
of Columbia, were full of this better 
building material, as was discovered some years later), obtained good 
mechanics from New York and elsewhere, and for a time made satis- 
factory progress. President Washington frequently inspected the work 
and exerted himself to obtain the necessary funds to carry it on. The 
commissioners permitted Hoban to have his own way, and he enjoyed 
the rare privilege of doing as he thought best without interference. 
But there came a time when the money gave out. Congress, sitting at 
Philadelphia, rather sullen and displeased because the capital city was 
to be established on the banks of the Potomac simply for the reason that 



SOUTH VIEW OF THE WHITE HOUSE. 



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159 



the Southern States had desired it, and had consummated a legislative 
bargain to obtain their desire, flatly refused to make further appropriations 
for the White House. In consequence of this refusal the building opera- 
tions were suspended for nearly two years. Hoban went to New York, 
where there was a demand for good architects, and declared he would 
never return. The commissioners, who were doing gratuitous and thank- 
less work in looking after the interests of the new national city, were 
indignant, and one of them resigned, washed his hands of the whole 
matter, and began to erect a fine mansion. At last President Washing- 
ton's influence prevailed in Congress, and a sufficient sum was appro- 
priated to finish the White House. Hoban again took charge of the 
construction, and in the latter part of 1799 the building was ready for 
occupancy. 

Up to the time President Adams entered into possession of the White 
House its cost had been about $250,000. There is good reason to believe 
that Washington selected the site of the building and that he always had 
an ardent interest in its construction. He had resided in small, incon- 
venient houses at New York and Philadelphia while President, and he 
desired that his successor and the long line of Presidents to come after 
should be well housed. He believed some of Hoban's ideas of construc- 
tion and decoration were rather extravagant, but he gave way to them, 
and permitted him to complete unmolested what the satirists of/ that 
period called " The President's Palace." | 




EAST ROOM OF THE WHITE HOUSE. 



j6o the national capital. 

James Hoban, whose name will be forever connected with this build- 
ing, and also with the Capitol as one of its architects, became a permanent 
resident of the city of Washington, and followed his profession for many 
years with distinguished success. He designed and constructed a number 
of the finest mansions and business buildings, and became a very wealthy 
man. He was social and hospitable, went in the best society, and pos- 
sessed in a high degree the esteem and confidence of all who knew him. 
He died December 8, 1 83 1 , aged seventy-three, and was buried in one of 
the city cemeteries. 

When John Adams and his family first occupied the White House 
only six of its rooms were furnished. In the great East Room, the 
largest in the house, were piles of lumber and scaffolding, and here where 
so many magnificent fetes have been held during the past seventy-five 
years, Mrs. Adams had the family linen spread out to dry on wash-days. 
The grounds around the house were in a wild, rough state, and continued 
so for many years. When Jefferson became President the East Room 
was completed, and during his administration the house was otherwise 
improved. 

In the middle of President Madison's second term the British troops 
invaded the city and fired the White House. After the battle of Bladens- 
burg, August 24, 1 8 14, the President left Washington for a place of safety 
in Maryland, but his wife, Dolly Paine Madison, remained in the White 
Housw. She had invited some friends to a dinner-party that night, and, 
not believing that the enemy would reach the city before the next day, 
she went on with her preparations for the party. The guests were seated 
at the table, when a servant rushed in and gave the startling intelligence 
that the British were on Capitol Hill, only a mile and a half away. Then 
there was a panic. Men and women left the house without a minute's 
delay. Mrs. Madison gathered a few articles of clothing, had the horses 
harnessed to the family carriage, and with her favorite serving-woman was 
driven across the Potomac to a farm-house in Virginia. The British 
soldiers arrived at the White House about half an hour after its inmates 
had departed. On a long table in the East Room they found a bountiful 
dinner set out. There were meats and rich viands, fruits, ices, and Vines, 
and the soldiers had a merry feast before they applied the torch to the 
house. 

The fire did little serious damage, as it was speedily extinguished by a 
heavy rain, which began soon after the soldiers had marched away and 
continued all that night. Some of the rooms were partially burned, and 
others were discolored by smoke, but the walls of the house were very 
little injured. 



!62 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

When the invading army had sailed down the Potomac the President 
and Mrs. Madison returned to the city, taking up their residence in the 
large brick mansion known as the Octagon House, at the corner of 
Eighteenth street and New York avenue, which was erected by Colonel 
John Tayloe in 1798, and is now standing in a good state of preservation. 
Here they lived until Madison's term as President had expired, and here 
his successor, President Monroe, also lived until the winter of 1817, when 
the White House was fully restored and refurnished, the work of restora- 
tion having been done by Hoban. In the Octagon House the treaty of 
Ghent was signed, and numerous official gatherings and brilliant receptions 
were held. 

On New Year's day, 18 18, President Monroe gave a public reception, 
and the National Intelligencer the next morning said, " The President's 
House for the first time since its restoration was thrown open yesterday 
for the general reception of visitors. It was thronged from 12 to 3 o'clock 
by an immensely large concourse of ladies and gentlemen, among whom 
were to be found the foreign ministers, heads of departments, Senators 
and Representatives, and others of our distinguished citizens, residents, 
and strangers. It was gratifying to be able to salute the President of the 
United States with the compliments of the season in his appropriate 
residence." 

In 1829, when General Jackson was President, the grand portico 
with tall Ionic columns was placed on the front of the White House, 
but since then few changes of importance have been made to the exterior 
of the building. Its history since Jackson's time has been simply the 
history of its occupants. Presidents have come and gone ; there have 
been scenes of gayety and scenes of gloom, — weddings, brilliant festivals, 
and all the pomp and circumstance of high official life; and intermit 
with the joyful notes and glowing colors have been the dark shades and 
dismal tones of pain and anguish and death. 

Up to the present time very nearly $800,000 have been expended 
the house in its construction and ornamentation. It has a fine loc 
on the western part of Pennsylvania avenue, directly opposite the 
tiful Lafayette Park. It stands some distance from the avenue 
enclosure of many acres. Around the house is a grove of tall, lux 
sycamores, oaks, and poplars, many of which have given grateful 
to nearly all the Presidents. On one side is the great Treasury bui 
and on the other the imposing and magnificent State, War, and 
building. All these structures are situated on the government reser 
designated as " The President's Grounds," which extends to the Po 
river, and is laid out in an attractive manner. When the harbor im^ 



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163 




ROOMS OF THE WHITE HOUSE. 
1. Cabinet-Room. 2. President's Room. 



ments are com- 
pleted there will 
bt rf [fine walks and 
drives a^sil through 
this section, >~ which 
will then be tht/*--?^ 
great pleasure re- .J 
sort of the people 3 
of Washington. 

The White 
House is built of 
sandstone, and to 



prevent this soft, porous stone from crumbling and wearing away, it is 
covered every year with thick coats of white paint. The house is one 
hundred and seventy feet from east to west, and eighty-six feet from 
north to south. It has two stories and a basement, the latter, however, 
not showing from the front, and a broad balustrade surmounts it. A 
large portico is at the main entrance, and a circular colonnade is on the 



164 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



south side. From Pennsylvania avenue there are two spacious drive- 
ways, bordered with trees and ornamented with tropical plants. The 
grounds contain fountains, beautiful beds of flowers, and luxuriant lawns, 
and they are open to the public all through the day. Plenty of com- 
fortable seats are provided, and every one can enjoy the pleasant sylvan 
tract. From the south grounds can be obtained charming views of the 
Potomac and the adjacent hills of Maryland and Virginia. 

- What are called the state parlors of the White House are on the first 
floor. They consist of the East Room, the Green Room, the Blue 
Room, and the Red Room. The East Room is eighty feet long and 
forty feet wide, but the other parlors are much smaller. .Until 1837 all 
the state dinners were given in the East Room, and the official receptions 
were held there. The room is arranged somewhat after the ancient Greek 
style, and has a very rich and elegant appearance. The ceiling consists 
of three large exquisitely decorated panels, in each of which is a splendid 
glass chandelier. Around the room are eight white mantels adorned with 
carvings in gold and surmounted by long mirrors. A thick Axminster 
carpet covers the floor, and the furniture is of ebony upholstered in plush 
of old-gold color. At the doors and windows are hangings to match the 
upholstery of the furniture. On the walls are paintings of President 
Washington and Martha Washington. 




CONSERVATORY OK THE WHITE HOUSE. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



I6 5 



The Green Room has its walls covered with paper of Nile-green color, 
with sprays of gold, and its furniture is upholstered in green satin. The 
Blue Room, where "the President holds his state receptions, is oval in 
shape, and its color is that designated as " robin's-egg blue." The furni- 
ture is of gilt and blue silk. - When the President has a reception the 
guests enter this room from the cloak-rooms, and are presented by the 
Marshal of the District of Columbia. After paying their respects to the 
President they retire to the other state parlors. The Red Room has its 
walls painted in Pompeiian red, and the ceiling is decorated with bronze 
and copper stars. At the windows are crimson plush curtains, and the 
furniture is upholstered with the same material. The room is used as a 
family sitting-room at night, and has a very cheerful appearance. Visitors 
to the White House in the daytime are allowed to enter the East Room 
at pleasure, but the other parlors are closed, except when an usher escorts* 
a party through them at certain intervals during the morning hours. 
When the President entertains, all the parlors are profusely embellished 
with flowers and luxuriant plants from the White House conservatory, 
the East Room in particular having great masses of tropical plants. The 
parlors open into a long private corridor, which is separated from the 
public vestibule by a screen of jewelled glass. The walls of the corridor 
are hung with portraits of the Presidents. 

Leading from the corridor is the grand dining-room in which the 
state dinners are given, — the dinners to the members of the Cabinet, the 
Justices of the Supreme Court, Senators and Representatives, \ foreign 
ministers, and other distinguished persons. These dinners take place 
once or twice a week during the winter, and are given by the President 
at his own expense, no allowance being made by Congress for them, 
although they are a necessary part of the social life of the White House. 
All the table service, the china, silver, and linen, is provided by the 
government, but the food and wines are furnished by the President, and 
the expenditure for the dinners is very large, as each dinner will cost the 
greater part of $1000. Usually there are twelve courses served, and as 
many as fifty-four guests can sit at the table when it is fully extended, 
although generally there are only from thirty-six to forty persons invited. 
The state dining-room is richly furnished, and when it is lighted at night 
by many gas-jets and wax candles has a splendid appearance, with its 
table covered with the state china and silver, beautiful floral designs, and 
delicious viands. 

The second story of the White House contains the business offices of 
the President and his private apartments. The library-room, where the 
President receives his callers during the day, and the Cabinet-room, where 



l 66 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

the members of the Cabinet consult with the President every Tuesday and 
Friday, are the principal public rooms. The library-room was furnished 
much as it is at present during the administration of President Fillmore, 
and it is stated that Mrs. Fillmore selected most of the books which fill 
the cases. It is a large oval room, with two long windows looking out 
upon the south grounds, and contains mahogany furniture upholstered in 
red leather. There are numerous bookcases around the room, and on the 
walls are paintings of the early Presidents. The President uses a massive 
desk constructed of oak timber taken from the ship "Resolute," which was 
sent to the Arctic regions in 1852 by the English government to search for 
Sir John Franklin. The desk was presented to the United States by 
England in 1881, for use in the White House. 

The Cabinet-room has a long table, around which the heads of the 
executive departments of the government sit when they meet for consul- 
tation with the President. At the head of the table the President sits, and 
at his right hand sits the Secretary of State, and at his left the Secretary 
of the Treasury. 

It takes no small sum to " run" the White House. Yearly the ex- 
penses are very nearly $100,000, exclusive of the President's salary of 
$50,000. The private secretary to the President has a salary of $3250, 
and the assistant secretary $2250. Two executive clerks are employed at 
salaries of $2000, and there are six other clerks who receive from $1800 
to $1200. A short-hand writer with a salary of $1800 attends to the 
President's correspondence. The steward of the house has $1800, and 
two day ushers have $1400 and $1200. Besides this force there are five 
messengers, two door-keepers, and one night usher, whose salaries are 
$1200. Then there is a watchman at $900 and a fireman at $864. The 
government furnishes all these employes. The cooks and dining-room 
and kitchen servants are paid by the President. For the contingent ex- 
penses of the business offices, such as stationery, record books, furniture 
and carpets, telegrams, care of a horse and carriage, etc., the sum of 
$8000 is annually appropriated. It costs $15,000 per year to light the 
White House and its grounds. The greenhouses are maintained at an 
expense of $6000. And with all these expenses there are others which 
call for the expenditure of about $20,000 more. So it will be seen that 
Uncle Sam's family mansion is quite a costly institution. 



( 




CHAPTER XIV. 

THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT— VARIOUS FACTS AND INTER- 
ESTING DETAILS OF THEIR ORGANIZATION— THE OFFICIALS AND CLERKS— THE 
CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION AND ITS METHODS— HOW THE APPLICANTS FOR AD- 
MISSION TO THE PUBLIC SERVICE ARE EXAMINED. 

j|OCATED in the city of Washington are the seven executive 
departments of the government, as follows : The Department 
of State, the Treasury Department, the War Department, 
the Navy Department, the Post-Office Department, the De- 
partment of the Interior, and the Department of Justice. The heads of 
these departments constitute the President's Cabinet, and have the title 
of Secretary, with the exception of the heads of the Post-Office Depart- 
ment and the Department of Justice, whose titles are Postmaster-General 
and Attorney-General. The compensation of each member of the Cabinet 
is $8o0O per year. Besides the regular executive departments there are 
government bureaus or institutions, such as the Department of Agricul- 
ture, the Smithsonian Institution and National Museum, the Government 
Printing-Office, and others, which are managed by commissioners or 
superintendents, but are not directly responsible to any of the executive 
departments. 

The State, War, and Navy Departments occupy the great and mag- 
nificent building on Pennsylvania avenue west of the White House. The 
erection of this building was begun in 1 871, and it is not yet entirely 
finished. Up to the present time it has cost $8,000,000, and it is likely 
that two or three millions will be expended to complete it. The design 
is a modification of the Italian renaissance order of architecture. The 
architect was A. B. Mullett. The building is four hundred and seventy- 
one feet long and two hundred and fifty-three feet wide, and is constructed 
of granite from Maine and Virginia quarries. When completed it will 
have four faQades precisely alike. There will be a grand entrance on 
each faqade. The building has four stories resting on a rustic basement, 
and an imposing mansard roof crowns the whole. The interior is fash- 
ioned in a very handsome manner. The Department of State has apart- 
168 




FOREIGN LEGATION BUILDINGS. 
i. Russian Legation. 2. English Legation. 3. Spanish Legation. 



l y Q THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

ments in the south front, the War Department in the north front, and the 
Navy Department in the east front. 

The Department of State has the supervision of all matters which 
arise in the intercourse of the United States with foreign governments, 
and also with the States of the Union. It was created by the First Con- 
gress in 1789, and for many years directed the affairs of the territories, 
and had charge of the patent and copyright business. At present it 
attends to the publication and preservation of all the acts of Congress, 
supervises the diplomatic and consular service, and performs other special 
work. Besides the Secretary of State, who is the leading member of the 
President's Cabinet, the officials of the department include three assistant 
secretaries, a chief clerk, and six chiefs of bureaus. The first assistant 
secretary has a salary of $4500, and the other secretaries $3500 each. 
The chief clerk who directs the sixty or more clerks and employes of the 
department has a salary of $2750, and the chiefs of bureaus have salaries 
of $2100. There are six bureaus, viz., Diplomatic Bureau, Consular 
Bureau, Bureau of Indexes and Archives, Bureau of Accounts, Bureau 
of Statistics, and Bureau of Rolls. The annual appropriation for the 
department is about $1,400,000, of which sum about $1,200,000 are 
expended for the maintenance of the diplomatic and consular service. 
Every portion of the state business is regarded as confidential, and the 
greatest pains is taken to prevent disclosures of the many affairs con- 
stantly under consideration. When the volumes of consular reports are 
prepared for publication, all passages are omitted which might prove 
embarrassing to the government or to the consuls. The consular reports 
are very popular with members of Congress, and they send thousands 
of copies to their constituents, particularly to persons interested in edu- 
cational matters.. The reports contain a large amount of information 
concerning foreign countries. 

The " foreign intercourse," as it is officially styled, is maintained by 
means of thirty-five legations and about three hundred consulates in all 
parts of the world. Twenty-five foreign governments have legations in. 
Washington. The ministers who represent the United States at what are 
called the first-class missions, such as those at London, Paris, Berlin, and 
St. Petersburg, have salaries of $17,500 per year. At the other missions 
the salaries range from $12,000 to $5000. The consuls have salaries from 
$6000 to $ 1 000. 

All the rooms of the Department of State are elegantly decorated and 
furnished. In the department are to be found many valuable archives of 
the government extending back to the past century. Every document 
received by the department is preserved, and can be referred to when 



Y n 2 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

wanted. The accumulation of papers is enormous, but the rooms of the 
department are spacious enough to contain all that may be received for a 
hundred years. 

The War Department occupies numerous large and handsome rooms 
in the State, War, and Navy building. This department was established 
in 1789, and has charge of all the military affairs of the government. 
Besides this work it has the supervision of all the improvements made to 
the rivers and harbors of the United States, and has also the charge of the 
weather service, the military asylums and cemeteries, and many public 
works. It also supervises the government surveys and explorations. A 
vast business is done and a vast sum expended. Nearly thirty millions 
of dollars are disbursed every year for the army and its adjuncts, and 
nearly as much more for other purposes. The department has the follow- 
ing divisions : Office of the Secretary of War, the Headquarters of the 
Army, the departments of the Adjutant-General, Inspector-General, 
Quartermaster-General, Commissary-General, Surgeon-General, and Pay- 
master-General ; the Corps of Engineers, the Ordnance Department, the 
Bureau of Military Justice, the Signal Office or Weather Bureau, the 
Bureau of War Records, and sundry other divisions. All the sub-depart- 
ments are directed by army officers of high rank, and have many clerks 
and employes. In the office of the Secretary of War there are a chief 
clerk with a salary of $2500, a disbursing clerk with $2000, three chiefs 
of divisions with $2000 each, and about seventy clerks. The Adjutant- 
General, Inspector-General, Quartermaster-General, Paymaster-General, 
Commissary-General, Judge-Advocate-General, the Chief of Engineers, 
the Chief Signal Officer, and the Chief of Ordnance have salaries of 
$5500. The Surgeon-General has $4500. 

The army of the United States consists of ten cavalry regiments, five 
artillery regiments, and twenty-five infantry regiments. There are also 
several detached forces employed in the signal service, hospital duty, etc. 
The entire military force amounts to 2143 officers and 23,335 enlisted 
men. The troops are stationed in three military divisions, as follows : 
Division of the Missouri, under the command of Major-General John 
Pope, with headquarters in Chicago; Division of the Atlantic, under the 
command of Major-General Winfield S. Hancock, with headquarters in 
New York ; Division of the Pacific, under the command of Major-General 
John M. Schofield, with headquarters in San Francisco. Each division is 
divided into departments commanded by brigadier-generals. By law the 
number of major-generals is limited to three, and the number of brigadier- 
generals to six. The brigadier-generals are Oliver O. Howard, Alfred H. 
Terry, Christopher C. Augur, George Crook, Nelson A. Miles, and Ronald 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



173 




S. Mackenzie. There are sixty-six 
colonels, eighty-five lieutenant-col- 
onels, two hundred and forty-three 
majors, and six hundred and three 
captains. 

The general in command of the 
army is Lieutenant-General Philip 
H. Sheridan, who assumed command 
November 1, 1883, upon the retire- 
ment of General William T. Sherman. 
His pay is $13,500 per year for the 
first five years, after which it is 
increased. The army headquarters 
are in the State, War, and Navy building. 

For the first five years of service the major-generals are paid $7500 
per year; brigadier-generals, $5500 ; colonels, $3500 ; lieutenant-colonels, 
$3000; majors, $2500; captains, from $1800 to $2000; and lieutenants, 
from $1400 to $1600. After five years the pay of A\ officers is increased 
from ten to forty per cent., according to the length of service. Retired 
officers have three-quarters pay. Private soldiers are paid $13 per month. 
The Navy Department has very elegant suites of. rooms. All the 
affairs pertaining to the navy are directed by this department. About 



NAVAL OBSERVATORY, SHOWING THE GREAT 
EQUATORIAL TELESCOPE. 



I74 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

fifteen million dollars are expended yearly for the naval force, ships of 
war, etc. In the office of the Secretary of the Navy there are many 
clerks and employes. The department has the following bureaus : Bureau 
of Yards and Docks, Bureau of Navigation, Bureau of Ordnance, Bureau 
of Provisions and Clothing, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Bureau of 
Construction and Repairs, Bureau of Equipment and Recruiting, and 
Bureau of Steam-Engineering. All the bureaus are directed by naval 
officers. 

At present the naval force consists of 1948 officers and 7500 enlisted 
men. There are also 750 boys or apprentices. The marine corps at- 
tached to the navy consists of 2028 officers and men. There are forty- 
five steam-vessels, fourteen wooden sailing-vessels, nineteen iron-clads, 
two torpedo-rams, and sixteen tugs. Steel ships of the best quality are 
in process of construction. 

The admiral in command of the navy is Admiral David D. Porter, 
who assumed the position October 17, 1870. His pay is $13,000 per 
year. The office of the admiral is in the State, War, and Navy building. 

There is a vice-admiral, whose pay is $9000 per year when at sea, and 
$8000 when on shore duty. Seven rear-admirals and twenty-one com- 
modores are on the active list. Rear-admirals receive $6000 and com- 
modores $5000 when at sea, and $1000 less when on shore. Captains 
are paid $4500, commanders $3500, and lieutenant-commanders $3000. 

The Treasury Department occupies an immense freestone and granite 
building situated on Pennsylvania avenue at Fifteenth street. The build- 
ing is four hundred and sixty feet long and two hundred and sixty-four 
feet wide. Very nearly $8,000,000 have been expended upon its con- 
struction. The main building was completed in 1841, Robert Mills 
being the architect. In 1869 the extensions, designed by Thomas U. 
Walter, were completed. The Treasury Department has charge of the 
financial affairs of the government, and has other duties. It was estab- 
lished in 1789 by the First Congress. The various divisions of the 
department are as follows: Office of the Secretary of the Treasury; 
offices of the First Comptroller, the Second Comptroller, the Commis- 
sioner of Customs, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, the Treasurer 
of the United States, the Register of the Treasury, the Comptroller of 
the Currency, the Director of the Mint, the Auditors, the Supervising 
Architect of Public Buildings, the Light-House Board, the Bureau of 
Statistics, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the Life-Saving Service, 
the Coast and Geodetic Survey, the Secret Service, the Revenue Cutter 
and Marine Hospital Service, etc. Each division has a large force of 
officials and clerks, and the total salary list of the department amounts 



176 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



to $3,000,000 per year. In the Treasury building there are nearly 3000 
persons employed, and several of the divisions, with many employes, are 
located elsewhere in Washington. 

The Post-Office Department has its offices in a marble building, which 
covers an entire square, bounded by Seventh, Eighth, E, and F streets. 
The building was erected in 1839, and extended in 1855. The architects 
were Robert Mills and Thomas U. Walter. Over $2,000,000 were expended 
in the construction. The Postmaster-General supervises the postal service 
and appoints the postmasters whose salaries are not more than $1000 per 
year. Postmasters whose salaries exceed $1000 are appointed by the 
President. Three assistant postmasters-general with salaries of $4000 
have charge of the various divisions of the department. There are 
51,000 post-offices in the United States, and the yearly expenditure for 
the postal service is over $50,000,000. 

The Department of the Interior has the following divisions : The 
Patent Office, the Pension Office, the General Land Office, the Bureau 
of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Education, the Geological Survey, the 
Census Office, and the office of the Commissioner of Railroads. The 
department was established in 1849. Several of the divisions occupy the 
large marble and granite building called the Patent Office, which is situ- 
ated on the square extending from Seventh to Ninth street, and from F 
to G street. The Pension Office, which now occupies buildings on 
Pennsylvania avenue, will soon have possession of the capacious building 
in pirocess of erection for it on Judiciary Square. The Department of the 
Interior has charge of many important interests of the government, and 
a large force of officials and clerks is required to carry on its business. 

The Department of Justice was established in 1870. It has charge 
of all the United States courts and all the law business of the govern- 
ment. The offices of the department are in a brownstone building on 
Pennsylvania avenue near Fifteenth street. The first story of the building 
is occupied by the Court of Claims. 

In the various branches of the public service in Washington there are 
15,000 persons employed. Of this number there are nearly 6000 clerks 
who are included within the civil service law. The officials and certain 
employes of the government, such as short-hand writers, translators, con- 
fidential clerks, cashiers, and persons occupying positions of trust, are 
not within the law. 

The civil service commissioners have a suite of rooms in the second 
story of a small brick building adjacent to that occupied by the Depart- 
ment of Agriculture. There are three commissioners, who receive salaries 
°f $3500, and are also allowed their expenses when travelling on business. 



i 7 8 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



The office force consists of a chief examiner with a salary of $3000, a 
secretary with $1600, and several clerks. There are ten examiners for the 
general service in the executive departments, and eleven special examiners, 
all of whom are selected from the department officials in Washington, and 
receive no extra compensation. There are, besides, examining boards at 
the various post-offices and custom-houses in the United States. The 
yearly expense of this new branch of the public service is about $24,000. 

The civil service act went into practical operation July 16, 1883. By 
it all appointments to clerkships in the seven executive departments in 
Washington where the salary is not less than $900 nor more than $1800 
per year, and to subordinate places in the postal and customs service 
throughout the country, under certain limitations, are made as the result 
of a system of examinations intended to ascertain the fitness of those 
persons who seek to be employed by the government. Any citizen of 
the United States who is within the limit as to age can apply for a position 
in the departmental service or in the postal or customs service, go before 
the civil service commission for examination, and, if he passes the exam- 
ination, is eligible to office. Not the slightest " influence" is needed ; no 
solicitation on the part of any one has any weight or is of any advantage. 
^ Every applicant has to work his own way, so to speak, and, although 
there is a little " luck" in the matter, as will be described farther on, if he 
is meritorious he has a fair chance of obtaining what he desires. So very 
S little is known of the method employed in carrying out the civil service 
act, that it may be of interest and value to describe in detail the process 
by which a person is enabled to enter that " fertile field" (in popular esti- 
mation) known as government service. 

Whenever a man or woman desires to obtain a place in the departmental 
service of the government, the first thing to be done is to send to the civil 
service commission for an application paper. Only this and nothing more. 
It is not necessary, as many seem to think, to write a long letter giving a 
minute description of qualifications for the service, and stating that they 
have had this and that experience, and can give this and that reference. 
A few lines on a postal card are enough. By return mail an application 
paper will be sent, and this paper will give full information of the course 
of procedure. Persons not under eighteen nor over forty-five years of age 
are eligible for the departmental service, but limitations of age do not 
apply to "persons honorably .discharged from the military or naval service 
of the country, who are otherwise qualified." The application paper 
contains blanks in which are to be written the name, age, residence, and 
occupation of the applicant, and sundry other facts of consequence. The 
statements have to be sworn to before an official qualified to administer 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



179 




THE NEW PENSION BUILDING. 



an oath, and confirmed by the vouchers of three persons. No recom- 
mendations outside of these vouchers as to character and capacity are 
allowed. When the applicant has properly filled out the application 
paper, it should be mailed to the commission at Washington. If j the 
commission finds the paper to be proper in form, the applicant's name is 
entered upon the record, and his paper is filed. A short time before an 
examination is to be held the applicant will receive an official notice to be 
present at any of the places designated. Armed with this notice, and with 
the consciousness that he " knows something," the applicant can present 
himself to the examining board at the place he has chosen and meet 
his fate. 

Examinations are held in Washington and in various other cities of 
the country at such times as the commissioners may think proper. There 
are three kinds of examinations, — limited, general, and special. For 
ordinary clerkships and subordinate positions in the departments the 
limited and general examinations apply ; for positions requiring technical 
knowledge and skill special examinations only are held. The limited 
examination, which is intended mainly for copyists, messengers, and other 
subordinate employes, is very simple. Two subjects only are used. The 
applicant has to copy a few sentences from dictation and a few sentences 
from a printed form, in order to show his penmanship and orthography ; 
then he is required to work out several examples in addition, subtraction, 



j8o the national capital. 

multiplication, and division, none of which are much beyond the capacity 
of a ten- year old child. The general examination has five subjects, with 
from three to five questions to a subject. The first subject is similar to 
that of the limited examination ; the second subject embraces examples 
in the fundamental principles of arithmetic, fractions, and percentage ; and 
the third subject, examples in interest, discount, and elements of book- 
keeping and of accounts. The two other subjects include questions of 
grammar and of the history, geography, and government of the United 
States. This examination is the one taken by the majority of applicants 
for government service, as success in it makes a person eligible to a $1200 
clerkship, from which may come promotion to places worth $1400, $1600, 
or $1800 a year. 

In this examination questions like the following have to be answered : 
" Divide three-fourths of eight-ninths by one-seventh of three-fifths, and 
subtract one-seventh from the quotient." " Divide one thousand and 
eight and three one-thousandths by three and eight one-hundredths, ex- 
pressing the process in decimal fractions." " A note for $2647.34 is 
payable eleven months from date with interest at 3^ per cent. What will 
be the amount due on the note at maturity ? Give all the figures in the 
operation." " A disbursing agent failed, owing the government one item 
of $308.45, another of $2901.02. The government agrees to make a dis- 
count of 13 per cent, on the first item and 11^ per cent, on the second. 
How much was payable under the agreement?" " The compensation of 
a clerk, beginning June 30, was $133.33 a calendar month. On the 1st of 
October his salary was increased 15 per cent, and so remained until June 
I, when it was increased a further amount of 3 per cent, on the original 
salary. What was the whole amount payable to the clerk for the year ?" 
" Give a definition of a verb, a noun, an adverb, an adjective, a preposition, 
a conjunction, and of the phrase, ' the grammar of the English language.' " 
" Which states extend to or border on the sea or tide-water ? What is the 
capital of each of said states ?" " What is meant in our history by the 
colonial period? by the Continental Congress? by the Declaration of In- 
dependence ? by the emancipation proclamation ?" The questions are 
different at each examination, but they always follow the grade estab- 
lished. Each question is printed at the head of the examination paper, 
and only one subject at a time is given out by the examiners. The 
candidates sit at small desks, and are allowed not more than five hours 
to solve the problems. The examination-room in Washington has all 
the appearance of a school-room. The desks and chairs are plain and 
simple, and there is accommodation for a " class" of seventy-five or 
eighty persons. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



Ibl 




GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL 
FOR THE INSANE. 



The technical or special examinations embrace a wide range of subjects. 
Applicants for the position of pension examiner are examined in orthog- 
raphy, penmanship, letter-writing, arithmetic, geography and history, the 
pension laws, rules of evidence, and competency of witnesses, and in 
anatomy and hygiene. Applicants for positions as examiners in the patent 
office are examined in mathematics to trigonometry, and in chemistry, 
physics, technics, the interpretation of mechanical drawings, and French 
and German. Each applicant receives a drawing of an invention, and is 
required to fully describe it. French and German patent specifications 
have to be translated. The examination in mathematics, physics, and 
chemistry bears directly upon the practical work of a patent examiner. 
The questions in physics touch those principles of physics necessary to 
explain patents. Those examined for the position of mechanical draughts- 
man have a model from the patent office placed before them, and are 
required to make a complete drawing of it, and then to describe it in detail 
and explain its mode of operation and the class of machines to which it 
belongs. Afterwards they are required to describe technical drawings, 
methods of shading to represent different surfaces, principles of perspec- 
tive, and what are known as mechanical devices. Those who desire to 
become copyists of drawings have to make a tracing of a drawing shaded 
in India ink, to illustrate the methods of shading concave and convex 
surfaces, and to describe the views in the drawings used. Those examined 
for the position of assistant in the scientific library of the patent office, 
whose duty it is to search foreign patent records and scientific publications 



j g 2 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

in order to ascertain whether or not a patent applied for here has been 
previously patented or described in any other country, have to translate 
French and German patent records, abridge and index patent specifications, 
classify patents according to the arts, perform some exercises to illustrate 
the use of the card catalogue, etc. 

At the close of each examination, limited, general or special, the ex- 
aminers take all the papers, look them over carefully, and determine the 
standing of each applicant in the subjects. The examination papers of 
each applicant are marked only with a number, and his name is not known 
to the examiners, thus preventing any favoritism. Every applicant must 
have an average standing of 65 per cent, in the subjects in which he is 
examined to become eligible to appointment. Those fortunate enough to 
reach this grade are notified by the commissioners, and their names are 
recorded in the list of " eligibles ;" the others have their labor for their 
pains. The commissioners prepare the rules and regulations and all the 
questions used in the examinations, and have general charge of all matters 
arising from the civil service business. They do not conduct the examina- 
tions or mark the grade of persons examined, but they revise and finally 
decide as to the work of all the examiners. 

Whenever the head of a department wishes to fill a vacancy in his 
clerical force, he sends a letter to the commissioners informing them of 
the fact, and the commissioners immediately send to that department four 
names taken from those having the highest grade on the list of eligibles. 
The 1 names are taken according to a just apportionment to the various 
states and territories, the idea being not to allow one section of the 
country to have more appointments than it is entitled to by reason of its 
population. With the names are sent the examination papers of each 
applicant, in order that the appointing officer of the department may 
examine them before he takes his choice of the four names. The right 
of selection is possessed by the appointing officer, and he can take any 
name from those furnished, or he can reject them all and call for more if 
he chooses. If the examination papers of an eligible are especially neat 
and correct; if they show he has a good practical way of doing things, 
he may be selected at once, even if his grade is not as high as the others. 
If an appointing officer takes an unaccountable "fancy" to a certain name, 
he may select it. Sometimes the last name of the four will be selected 
instead of the first, or the second, or the third. The civil service com- 
missioners have nothing to do with this. All that they can do is to send 
the names to the department for the choice to be made. When the 
appointing officer has made his choice, he notifies the commissioners, 
and the fact is entered in the record book. The department sends a 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



I8 3 



notice to the person selected that he has been appointed to a certain 
clerkship, and that he must report for duty. The new clerk goes on 
probation for six months, and at the expiration of that time, if he has 
given satisfaction, his appointment is confirmed, and he can remain in the 
government service as long as he gives no cause for dismissal. 

Each eligible can be certified twice to each department for appoint- 
ment, but no more; and often names will go the rounds of the depart- 
ments before they are selected, and sometimes they are not selected at 
all. Some men are so " lucky" that they step at once into good places, 
while others have to possess their souls in patience and wait and wait, 
and even then are not rewarded. The rule is to keep the names of those 
persons who are eligible for appointment on the record of the commis- 
sion for two years, during which time there will be a constant chance of 
appointment. When four names are sent to the head of a department, 
and one is selected, the other three do not fall back, but they keep their 
rank at the front and are sent up again at the next call. 

The question is often asked if the commissioners invariably select 
four names from those having the highest standing on the record of 
examinations. This is not possible under the law of apportionment to 
the various states and territories. For instance, if the quota of New 
York is full, no more names can be taken from that state, and the com- 




GOVERNMENT PRINTING-OFFICE. 



1 84 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



missioners are compelled to take the names of persons from other states 
who may not be graded so high as those from New York. Sometimes 
an eligible will make complaint that, although he was graded at 90 per 
cent., another person who was graded at only 70 per cent, has been 
appointed before him. The reason is because of the apportionment law, 
and the law often causes a good deal of trouble. 








CHAPTER XV. 

SKETCHES OF GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS— BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINTING 
AND ITS WORK— REDEMPTION DIVISION OF THE TREASURY— THE SOLDIERS' 
HOME— THE NAVAL OBSERVATORY— DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE— THE 
WEATHER BUREAU— DEAD-LETTER OFFICE— THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 
AND NATIONAL MUSEUM— VARIOUS MATTERS OF INTEREST. 

LL the paper money issued by the government is printed at 
the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which is part of the 
Treasury Department and under the supervision of the 
Secretary of the Treasury. Up to 1880 the government 
money was printed in the Treasury, but, in order to relieve the over- 
crowded condition of that institution, Congress authorized the erection 
of the large brick building in which the Bureau of Engraving and 
Printing is now located. The building is situated at the southern end of 
Fourteenth street, and is finely arranged for the purposes of the business. 
It was erected at a cost of $367,000. Here the plates for the notes, 
bonds, and internal revenue stamps of the United States, and the plates 
for the national bank-notes are engraved in the finest and most accurate 
manner by a force of skilful engravers, some of whom have been engaged 
in this special work for well nigh half a century ; and here also all the 
national currency is printed and prepared for use. The building is filled 
with busy employes, men and women, there being about twelve hundred 
in all, and a great amount of work is done every day in all the divisions 
of the bureau. 

In one recent year the bureau completed and delivered nearly nine 
million sheets of notes and securities, with a face value of two hundred 
and sixty-eight millions of dollars. There were also completed twenty- 
one million sheets of stamps, containing 480,506,878 stamps, and a large 
amount of miscellaneous work, such as checks, drafts, etc. The bureau 
expends about one million dollars a year for labor and material, and of 
this amount over $800,000 are expended for labor alone. Every day 
notes of the value of $250,000 are completed. The notes, and in fact all 
the valuable sheets of paper, are counted thirty-five or forty times, at 
186 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



I8 7 




DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



different stages of the work, before they are allowed to leave the bureau, 
and if there is an error it can be traced in a very few minutes. Every 
person who handles a sheet of notes puts a private mark on it. After 
the notes are completed they are sent to the Treasury building in iron 
wagons closely guarded. When they are received by the Treasury 
officials they are again counted before being deposited in the great 
money vaults. Every precaution is taken, and it is rarely that there is 
an error made in handling the millions of dollars printed in the bureau. 
When the bureau is closed for the night, all the engraving plates and 
rolls, and all the sheets of notes, stamps, and securities, are carefully 
counted and verified and safely deposited in the vaults before any of the 
employes are permitted to leave the building. 

All the specially prepared fibre paper used in the printing of notes 
and bonds comes from the Treasury upon requisition, and the purpose 
for which the paper is required has to be clearly stated before it is 
delivered by the Treasury officials. When the paper is received at the 
bureau, the sheets are carefully counted by ladies employed solely for 
this purpose. If the sheets are found to be correct, a receipt is given for 
the face value of them after they have been turned into money. They 
are then given into the hands of the plate-printers, who print the notes 



!88 the national capital. 

four on a sheet. After the printing the notes are lettered and numbered 
by machines, and then the seal of the government is stamped on them in 
red ink. The sheets are then cut and trimmed, the notes are again 
counted, and then they are made up in packages to be sent to the 
Treasury. 

The portraits, vignettes, and other engraved work used upon the notes 
and bonds are executed in the highest style of the engraving art. The 
bureau has the best engravers in their several specialties of letter, orna- 
mental, and portrait work to be found in the country. They receive large 
pay and retain their positions for years. No portraits of living persons 
are placed on the notes or bonds. 

The bureau has in its possession about 40,000 pieces of engraved steel 
used in printing notes and bonds. They are deposited in two immense 
vaults, which are in charge of officials specially appointed by the Secretary 
of the Treasury to have the custody of this valuable stock. The vaults 
are made of steel, and are burglar- and fire-proof. The doors have com- 
bination and time locks. Each piece of stock taken from the vaults to be 
used for any purpose is charged to the division using it, and must be re- 
turned before night. The engravers are carefully supervised by special 
officers, and in fact in every portion of the bureau all means that human 
ingenuity can devise are employed to prevent unlawful use of the dies and 
plates, and loss in handling the vast amount of money yearly printed. 

The national bank redemption division of the Treasury Department 
has some interesting features. The employes, some sixty in number, are 
mostly ladies, who count and sort the worn-out bank-notes sent to the 
Treasury for redemption. From sixty millions to two hundred and forty 
millions of dollars are handled every year in this division, and during the 
past ten years notes of the value of $1,391,494,237 have been redeemed. 
After the notes are carefully counted and examined, those that are unfit 
fur further service are destroyed by maceration in the basement of the 
Treasury in the presence of a committee of officials. The paper pulp re- 
maining is afterwards used in the manufacture of a coarse grade of paper. 
Formerly it was the practice to burn the notes in a great furnace, but the 
maceration process was found to be the most efficient. Very often national 
banks send more money than they mark on the outside of the packages, 
and nearly as often they send less. In ten years the " overs" amounted to 
$170,800, and the "shorts" to $135,843. Whenever there is an "over" 
or a "short," the bank sending the package is promptly notified and the 
mistake is corrected. 

Money partially destroyed by fire is often sent for redemption. It is 
examined by lady experts, who will take a charred package of notes and, 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



189 



by skilfully inserting a long, thin knife, chip off the outer layer, which will 
expose either the face or back of the next note. The whole package will 
thus be carefully examined, and by certain distinguishing marks the experts 
are enabled to obtain the knowledge of the value of the notes. 

The Soldiers' Home, which is in charge of a board of army officers of 
high rank, is situated a few miles from Washington, in the northern part 
of the District of Columbia. It was established by act of Congress in 
185 1 at the suggestion of General Winfield Scott, who labored earnestly 
for its interests. At this institution the soldiers of the army of the United 
States who have performed service for twenty years can reside without 
cost during the remainder of their lives. Those disabled in service are 
also entitled to a residence. A tax of twelve cents a month is assessed on 
each soldier during his time of service in the army to aid in paying the 
expenses of the institution. There are usually about five hundred resi- 
dents of this beautiful estate. The main building is of white marble, and 
there are several other buildings of the same material. The grounds are 
five hundred acres in extent, and are laid out in an attractive manner and 
covered with groves of oak-trees. A bronze statue of General Scott, by 
Launt Thompson, stands in a conspicuous place on the grounds. Adjacent 




r\ 



TIE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 



190 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




STATUE OF PROF. JOSEPH HENRY, ON SMITHSONIAN 
GROUNDS. 



to the main building there is a pretty cottage set apart as a summer resi- 
dence for the Presidents of the United States. The estate is open to the 
public and is a favorite place of resort in the vernal season. The home 
has a fund of over a million dollars, and a large yearly income from 
various sources. 

The Naval Observatory is situated in the westerly part of Washington, 
on a government reservation which extends to the Potomac river. It is 
under the supervision of a rear-admiral of the navy, and is famous all 
over the world for its astronomical work, which is performed by a corps 
of distinguished astronomers. The observatory has a great equatorial 
telescope, which cost nearly $50,000. Its object glass is twenty-six 
inches clear aperture, and its focal length thirty-two and one-half feet. 
The instrument is placed in a large iron dome. 

The Department of Agriculture occupies many acres of the mall, and 
has a large brick building and gardens for the growing of plants. It is 
not one of the regular executive departments of the government, but is a 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



I 9 I 



bureau in charge of a commissioner with a salary of $4500. It has a large 
force of specialists, who devote themselves to investigations of agricul- 
tural matters, and the information gained is diffused throughout the 
country by means of reports. The department building was erected in 
1868, at a cost of about $200,000. Adjacent to it are large plant-houses 
in which rare tropical plants are grown. The seed division of the depart- 
ment employs nearly two hundred men and women, at certain seasons, 
in assorting and packing bushels of seeds of various sorts, which are sent 
out to the farming regions all over the country. Great quantities of 
seeds are raised by the department, and great quantities are purchased. 
Farmers are supplied with seeds for corn, wheat, cotton, tobacco, hemp, 
flax, and jute, and with seeds for garden vegetables and flowers. Many 
rare foreign seeds are also supplied. The department issues annually a 
voluminous report in book form, with many illustrations, which is circu- 
lated to the extent of 300,000 copies. The beautiful gardens and lawns 
of the department, filled with rare flowers and aromatic plants, are very 
attractive. 

The Signal Office is located in a brick building on G street. The 
" weather service" is the special work of this bureau. Throughout the 
country there are stationed nearly three hundred men, who are members 
of the signal corps of the army. Their duty is to make precise and 
accurate observations of the weather in their districts three times each 
day, and to send the record of the observations to the bureau at Wash- 
ington. The facts thus obtained are charted upon a specially prepared 
map, and this map becomes a per- 
fect photograph of the condition 
of the weather at a certain time all 
over the United States. The map 
is carefully studied by an officer at 
the Signal Office, and the predic- 
tions as to the weather are made 
up as the result of this study. The 
weather observations are taken at 
all the stations in the country at 
precisely the same minute of Wash- 
ington time, — at 7 a.m., 3 p.m., and 
1 1 p.m. The government owns and 
operates several thousand miles of 
telegraph lines, which are used by 
the weather observers to send their 

PROF. SPENCER F. BAIRD, SECRETARY OF THE 

reports. The bureau was created Smithsonian institution. 




jq 2 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

in 1870, but it was not until 1874 that the weather service was performed 
upon an extended scale. 

The dead-letter office of the Post-Office Department has been called 
" a monument to the carelessness and stupidity of the American people." 
It is a curious institution. It occupies a spacious apartment of the post- 
office building, and has over one hundred employes, who are busily 
engaged day by day in opening letters and packages which have gone 
astray in the mails. About 15,000 " dead" letters are received every day 
from the post-offices of the country, and these letters contain all sorts of 
things. Many thousands of dollars are discovered in the letters each 
year. If an address is found, the letters and packages are forwarded at 
once to their owners, but a good portion of the dead mail finds its way to 
the depository for waste paper, is cut into shreds, and sold to paper mills. 

The patent office as it is at present was established in 1836. Previous 
to that year only about 10,000 patents had been, issued in this country, 
but since then there have been over 300,000 issued. The office yearly 
issues about 21,000 patents, and usually has a surplus fund of over $ioo,000 
after all the expenses are paid. There is at present in the Treasury of 
the United States a balance on account of the patent fund of $2,782,000. 
The model museum of the patent office contains many thousands of patent 
models, embracing mechanical devices of every description. There are 
four great halls devoted to the models. 

The pension office is the most important bureau of the Department of 
the Interior. There are at present on the rolls of the office 322,756 pen- 
sioners, classified as follows: 218,956 army invalids, 75,836 army widows, 
minor children, and dependent relatives; 2616 navy invalids, 1938 navy 
widows, minor children, and dependent relatives; 3898 survivors of the 
war of 18 12, and 19,512 widows of those who served in that war. The 
average value of each pension is $106.75, and the aggregate value of all 
pensions is $34,456,600. Every year sixty millions of dollars are paid for 
pensions. This amount is greater than the aggregate value of all pensions, 
because it includes first payments, known as arrears of pensions, which in 
some cases amount to several thousand dollars to a pensioner. During 
1884 over twenty-seven million dollars were paid to new pensioners. Since 
1 86 1 there have been filed 927,922 claims for pensions, and nearly 550,000 
claims have been allowed. There has been disbursed to pensioners since 
1 86 1 the immense sum of $680,000,000. 

In the Treasury of the United States there is a fund of $703,000, 
which is held in trust for the Smithsonian Institution. This fund was 
bequeathed to the United States by James Smithson, an English gentle- 
man, " to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian In- 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



193 




THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



stitution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge 
among men." The bequest was received in 1838, and in 1856 the build- 
ing known as the Smithsonian Institution was finished. It stands on a 
portion of the mall designated as " the Smithsonian grounds," and is of 
red sandstone. It is four hundred and fifty feet long and one hundred and 
forty feet wide, and has nine towers. The style of architecture is the 
ancient Norman. The building contains offices for the employes of the 
institution, and also a large museum of natural history. On the grounds 
near the building is a bronze statue of Professor Joseph Henry, by W. W. 
Story, which was erected by the government, at a cost of $15,000, and 
unveiled on April 19, 1883. Professor Henry was the first secretary of 
the institution. The yearly receipts of the institution from interest on its 
fund and other sources are about $45,000. The income is expended in 
scientific investigations, which are embodied in reports published in vol- 
umes entitled " The Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge." These 
volumes are sent to the leading scientific societies throughout the world. 

In connection with the Smithsonian Institution is the National Museum, 
which contains large collections of industrial products, historical relics, 
and ethnological objects. The museum was established by the govern- 
ment in 1876, and is rapidly becoming one of the greatest exhibitions in 

13 



194 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




THE SIGNAL OFFICE OR WEATHER BUREAU. 



the world. The build- 
ing which it occupies is 
situated near the Smith- 
sonian Institution, and 

is constructed of bricks, profusely decorated with various enamelled colors. 
There are many spacious halls for exhibition purposes within the building. 
Liberal appropriations are made by Congress for the museum, and in the 
course of a few years it will be worth a journey across the continent to 
inspect this gigantic " world's fair." The secretary of the Smithsonian 
Institution is Professor Spencer F. Baird, and he is also the director of the 
National Museum. 

The Government Printing-Office is located in a large brick building on 
North Capitol street. About 2500 persons are employed in this office in 
printing and binding the various publications of the government, and 
yearly over $2,000,000 are expended for the work. The office is supplied 
with the best material, and much of its work is of a high order. The 
establishment is in charge of an official whose title is Public Printer. 




CHAPTER XVI. 

HISTORIC ARLINGTON— THE LARGEST OF THE NATIONAL MILITARY CEMETERIES- 
EARLY HISTORY OF THE BEAUTIFUL ESTATE— JOHN CUSTIS AND HIS DESCEND- 
ANTS—GEORGE WASHINGTON PARKE CUSTIS— GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE'S LIFE 
AT ARLINGTON— THE CUSTIS MANSION— THE GREAT BURIAL-FIELDS-O'HARA'S 
POEM, " THE BIVOUAC OF THE DEAD." 

EW Southern people who visit the city of Washington fail to 
go to historic Arlington, where General Robert E. Lee and 
his interesting family passed so many happy years before 
grim-visaged war made them exiles from the beautiful estate. 
People from all parts of the South seem to revere this home of the great 
Confederate soldier, and they love to walk through the rooms of his 
quaint old mansion, and to sit in the shade of the noble oaks which cover 
the grounds. And thousands of people from the East and West, of all 
classes and conditions, year by year go to this place with reverent feeling, 
for it is indeed hallowed ground, — it is the last resting-place of a mighty 
host who laid down their lives for their country. Arlington contains the 
largest and most important of the eighty-two military cemeteries estab- 
lished throughout the United States by the government, and the graves 
of over 16,000 soldiers of the Civil War are in its enclosure. The ceme- 
tery is in charge of a gallant veteran of the war, and a considerable force 
of laborers is constantly employed in adorning and improving the grounds, 
— in making these sacred burial-fields as beautiful and attractive as the 
highest skill and a lavish expenditure can accomplish. The estate is 
situated directly opposite Washington, on the Virginia bank of the 
Potomac, and the Lee mansion, surrounded by luxuriant groves, is on 
an elevation of two hundred feet, so that it can be plainly seen from many 
parts of the city. On a bright, clear day the huge portico of the mansion, 
with its eight classic columns, stands out very distinctly, and one would 
hardly think there was a mile of water between the mansion and the city. 
The estate comprises 1160 acres, mostly good arable land, and it is part 
of a grant of 6000 acres which was made by Sir William Berkeley, one 
of the royal governors of Virginia, to Robert Howson during the reign 

195 



196 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 







ARLINGTON MANSION 



of George II. Howson is credited with 
having afterward disposed of the entire 
grant for six hogsheads of tobacco. The 

present Arlington estate was purchased for ,£11,000 by John Custis, the 
great-grandfather of George Washington Parke Custis, in the early part 
of the eighteenth century, and continued in the possession of his de- 
scendants until it was acquired by the government. About two hundred 
acres are used for the military cemetery; the remainder is used for the 
Fort Myer signal station, and for a sort of desultory farming by negro 
squatters. 

John Custis, who first gave the name of Arlington to this fine estate, 
was a member of one of the first families of the Old Dominion. He was 
a planter of many broad acres in addition to this property, and, according 
to tradition, a rather obstinate, choleric worthy, given to great admiration 
for his own opinions and little tolerant of the opinions or desires of others. 
He married the daughter of Colonel Daniel Parke, a distinguished Vir- 
ginian. She was a haughty beauty with a very bad temper, ?.nd John 
was warned that she was not the proper mate for him; but, lover-like, 



THE NATIONAL 



PITAL. 



197 



ardent with affection and desire, he paid ..o attention to the warning, and 
declared that to possess her was heaven enough. But the beauty having, 
it is likely, much the same disposition as his own, gave him no taste of 
paradise in his married life. He was an unhappy husband, and, when his 
wife died at Arlington, he could scarcely repress his joy long enough 
to go through with the customary forms of grief. She left a son and 
daughter, and they caused the father a good deal of trouble. The 
daughter fell in love with an officer in the English army, and secretly 
married him, much to the father's disgust; and the son, a handsome, 
gallant fellow, refused to look at a high-born girl with great expectations 
who had been selected for his bride, and instead paid court to Martha 




Wpi\ silent -jEfiy s 

w^Mfe SlVoxfflQ op JHE 

ffltir\ - ™ m • ' 



BURIAL-FIELD AT ARLINGTON — TOMB OF UNKNOWN SOLDIERS. 



193 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



Dandridge, the acknowledged belle of the little town of Williamsburg, 
Virginia, where the royal governors resided. 

Daniel Parke Custis was the name of the young man who appreciated 
the grace and comeliness of the Williamsburg belle, who was destined to 
fill a prominent place in the history of the country, and he was cour- 
ageous enough to declare to his father that he should marry her if she 
would have him. The daughter's choice had disgusted John Custis, but 
the choice made by his son infuriated him. In his passion he declared 
that his son should not have one acre of the many hundreds he possessed, 
and he made a will leaving his entire estate to a negro servant, and cutting 
off his son with the traditional shilling. One day Martha Dandridge met 
old Custis at a social gathering, and fairly captivated him by her conver- 
sation, full of sense and wit, by her tact and gracious manner, by her 
modesty and sweetness. From that moment he withdrew his opposition, 
and even went so far as to say that if Daniel didn't marry her he should, 
for such a charming woman mustn't go out of the family. 

Daniel Parke Custis and Martha Dandridge were married, and John 
Custis gave them a good farm on the Pamunkey river, in Virginia, to live 
on. When he died, it was found that he had left a will, bequeathing the 
Arlington estate to his son Daniel, and also the Pamunkey estate, called 
the " White House farm," and several other properties. In his will he 
directed his son, under penalty of disinheritance, to have his body placed 
in a white marble tomb, which should bear an inscription he had written 
with the intention of permanently recording his unhappy married life. 
The tomb was built and inscribed as he had directed. The inscription is 
so unique that it may be well to give it here. It is as follows : 

Under This Marble Tomb Lies The Body 

of the Hon. John Custis, Esq., 

Of the City of Williamsburg 

And Parish of Bruton, 

Formerly of Hungar's Parish On The 

Eastern Shore 

Of Virginia, and County of Northampton, 

Aged 71 years, and yet lived but seven years, which 

was the space of time he kept 

A Bachelor's Home At Arlington. 

The rear of the tomb is inscribed : This inscription put on his tomb 
was by his own positive orders. 

Daniel and Martha Custis lived happily on the White House farm 



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I99 




GRAVE OF JOHN HOWARD PAYNE AT OAK HILL CEMETERY. 



until the death of old Custis, and then they took up their residence at 
Arlington, living in a plain wooden house, which was removed when the 
present mansion was erected. Daniel was a lover of gay company, and 
entertained liberally. He was an enthusiastic sportsman, followed the 
hounds every season, and thoroughly enjoyed all the pleasures of the field. 
He was a worthy gentleman, a devoted husband and father. His estate 
was large and profitable, and he was ranked among the most opulent 
planters of eastern Virginia. He died before he was thirty-five, leaving 
two children, a boy and a girl, to the care of his young widow. Arling- 
ton was left by will to the boy, John Parke Custis, and the White House 
estate to the girl, Eleanor Custis. The remainder of Daniel's property, 



2QO THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

valued at about $ 100,000, was bequeathed to his widow for her sole use 
and benefit. 

The widow Custis was the guardian of her children's property, and. 
she was considered the richest widow in that section of the state. She 
was plump and pretty, still in the flush of youth, of a lively nature, and 
very popular in society. After her period of mourning, she opened her 
house to company, and also visited a good deal at the houses of the Vir- 
ginia gentry. At o,ne of these houses she was introduced one day to a 
young officer who had achieved considerable distinction in the campaigns 
of General Braddock. This was Colonel George Washington. He was 
scarcely thirty, and a very impressionable young man, having had one or 
two love-affairs which had not " run smooth." When he met the widow 
Custis it was a clear case of love at first sight. He made haste to woo 
and win her, and for once in his life he forgot the call of duty when by her 
side. They had a blithesome wedding at the White House farm, and 
passed their honeymoon there, going to Washington's Mount Vernon 
estate some months after to reside permanently. The two Custis children 
lived at Mount Vernon, and their estates were cared for by Washington. 
The Arlington estate was especially cared for, as it was regarded as a fine 
property, and one that in time would be of very great value. The Arling- 
ton slaves, a goodly number, were retained on it, and set to work in the 
cultivation of wheat, Indian corn, and tobacco, and large crops of these 
staples were raised. Washington was often on the estate directing the 
agricultural operations, and Martha Washington, who had a warm affection 
for the lovely place, had a small summer-house erected on the high bank 
overlooking what is now the capital city, where she was accustomed to sit 
on pleasant afternoons when she visited Arlington. This summer-house 
is said to have been located directly on the spot where now the great staff 
bearing the flag of the United States is placed. 

On many an afternoon Washington and his wife have sat on this bank, 

/elevated two hundred feet above the river, looking at the charming view, 
a view that Lafayette once said was the finest he had ever seen. Below 
the long, sloping bank with its luxuriant emerald covering, the placid 
Potomac widens until it is a mile in breadth, and then it gracefully curves 
to the southward, glistening in the sunshine. Great stretches of thickly- 
wooded hills border a wide, undulating plain, on which the capital city 
rests, and as far as the eye can reach is a panorama of rare loveliness. 
Conspicuous on the farther bank of the river is the tall, massive shaft of 
marble which has been raised to the memory of Washington, and two 
miles away the magnificent Capitol shows clearly on its hill-top. 

John Parke Custis grew to manhood, but his sister Eleanor died 



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>OI 



when but seventeen. The boy was petted and almost spoiled by his 
mother, and his illustrious stepfather gave him as much attention as he 
would have given his own son. He married a member of the Calvert 
family of Maryland, and at the battle of Yorktown was an aide-de-camp 
to Washington. Shortly after the battle he died of fever, and Washington 
then adopted regularly and formally his two infant children, — George 
Washington Parke Custis and Nelly Custis, but had them retain their 
family name. They became the children of Mount Vernon, and for many 
years gladdened and brightened the home of Washington. Their grand- 
mother idolized them, and he who was destined to have no child of 
his own — the Father of his Country — loved them with a deep, strong 
affection. Nelly Custis grew to be a most beautiful woman, and is said 
to have been a perfect image of her grandmother, " the belle of Williams- 
burg," as she was in her youth. She married Major Lawrence Lewis, 
and from this union came the distinguished Lewis family of Virginia. 
George Washington Parke Custis remained at Mount Vernon until he 
reached his majority, when he took possession of his inheritance, — the 
Arlington estate. At the death of Martha Washington he also inherited 
the White House farm on the Pamunkey river. 

When Custis came into possession of Arlington he immediately began 
the erection of a grand mansion on the brow of the hill. He made the 
designs for it, and expended a good deal of money in its construction. 
Its portico was fashioned in imitation of that of a famous temple near 
Naples. Custis occupied the mansion early in 1803, when he was a little 
more than twenty-one years old. He kept bachelor's hall for a year or 
so, and then married Mary Lee Fitzhugh, whose mother was a Randolph. 
Four children were born to him, all girls, but only one survived infancy. 
Custis was always known as the " child of Mount Vernon," and was held 
in special regard and even reverence on account of his intimate connection 
with Washington as his adopted child. His life at Arlington extended to 
1857, when he died, the last male of his family. His wife died in 1853, 
and the graves of the couple, side by side, can be seen in the southerly 
part of the Arlington grounds. 

George Washington Parke Custis is well remembered by many resi- 
dents of the District of Columbia. He was a finely-formed man, of 
medium height, and had a bright, intelligent, rather handsome face, and 
a clear, florid complexion. His forehead was high and broad, his eyes 
blue and sparkling, and he was always attired with scrupulous care and 
neatness. Genial and courteous, yet not familiar, he was at times a little 
aristocratic in manner. From childhood he had lived in high and dis- 
tinguished society, and at Arlington he entertained some of the foremost 



2Q2 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

men of the day. In 1824 Lafayette visited him, and he had seen the 
great Frenchman at Mount Vernon as far back as 1784. He was a poet 
and a painter, wrote plays for the amusement of his friends, and had 
considerable gift as an orator. He lacked the spur of necessity to develop 
his literary and artistic talent. For years he was engaged in painting a 
series of battle scenes portraying the military life of Washington, — a series 
which would have been very valuable in a historical sense, as he had 
had such rare opportunities to gather accurate material ; but the paintings 
were never finished, and came to naught. He had a royal income from 
his landed property, and lived the easy, comfortable life of a rich Virginia 
planter, enjoying his beautiful home and taking pleasure in his social 
circle. 

At one time Custis developed much enthusiasm for sheep-raising, 
obtained a flock of blooded merinos, and sought to arouse interest among 
the planters of his neighborhood in the subject. He offered prizes for 
the best sheep, and appointed a day for an annual exhibition at Arlington. 
This exhibition was called the " Arlington sheep-shearing," and was held 
on the lawn, near what is known as the " Custis spring." After the prizes 
were distributed, a dinner, chiefly composed of fish caught in the Potomac, 
was served in a large tent, used by Washington during the Revolution. 
Custis' interest in sheep died out after a few years, and the flock of 
merinos dwindled to two, and these were allowed to run over the hills as 
they pleased. 

Hjs only child, Mary Randolph Custis, was a buxom lass, with a 
handsome face something like his own. In childhood her favorite play- 
fellow was the youngest son of Governor Henry Lee, who lived at Strat- 
ford house, in Westmoreland county, Virginia. Governor Lee had been 
an intimate friend of Washington, had served in the Revolutionary war 
with him, and at the Congressional funeral ceremony delivered the 
oration, in which were those famous words, " First in war, first in peace, 
first in the hearts of his countrymen." The boy -and girl friendship 
ripened into love, and when young Robert Edward Lee went to West 
Point in 1825 for a military education, at the expense of the State of 
Virginia, he left behind him at Arlington a sweetheart who was eventu- 
ally to be his wife. In 1832, Lieutenant Lee was married to Mary 
Custis. When her father died he left her the Arlington estate for life. 
After her, it was to descend to her eldest son. 

The life of the Lee family at the Arlington home was an exceedingly 
pleasant one. For years before Custis died, his soldier son-in-law, wife, 
and children lived in the old mansion by his request. Lee was frequently 
away upon military duty, but at every opportunity hastened back to 




VIEWS AT THE SOLDIERS' HOME. 



204 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



Arlington and his growing family, for he was domestic in his tastes, and 
dearly loved those who were bound to him by the ties of affection, and 
he also loved the fair and fertile acres washed by the Potomac. He was 
simple in all his habits, liked to live quietly and plainly, enjoyed romping 
with his children, and they often said, " Father is as good as a boy to play 
with." The rigorous artificial customs of army life never seemed to 
change his disposition, and he was always a singularly pure, unaffected, 
sincere man. He had the best of health, was never sick, never used 
liquor or tobacco, and enjoyed life in a hearty, wholesome way. He was 
tall, and his rather grave face was lighted by clear blue eyes, which would 
show a good deal of roguish fun at times. He had black hair, a close-cut 
beard and moustache, which afterward turned to snowy white. He had 
a gentle, but firmly persuasive manner, and few could resist him. One of 
his sons has said that his father liked to have his own way, and generally 
had it, but he was never obstinate, never in a passion, and always was 
kind and courteous in enforcing his orders. He managed the Arlington 
estate admirably, and took great delight in agricultural operations. Few 
men could drive a mule as well as he could, and it was no uncommon 
thing for him to be out all day with a mule team working in the field. 

Mrs. Lee was an excellent wife. She understood her husband perfectly, 
and fully believed in him, and their companionship was of the truest and 
best kind all through their married life. She was very amiable, — a chatty, 
bright, lively woman, finely educated, a great reader, and an earnest worker 
for ithe welfare of her family. There were six children, three boys and 
three girls, and they helped to make up a home circle that for a long time 
was as delightful as any in Virginia, and one that was undisturbed by rude 
shocks and cares. Colonel Lee, for that was his military title then, had a 
marked religious proclivity, and in his family and in all his daily walks 
endeavored to carry out Christian principles by an exact measure. The 
Bible was closely studied, family worship was always maintained, and he 
was careful to impress upon the minds of his children the need and im- 
portance of a true Christian life. Mrs. Lee for a number of years was 
earnest in aiding church enterprises, and did a great deal toward sustain- 
ing several churches in the section in which they lived and also in the city 
of Washington. Sunday was strictly observed on the estate. No work 
was ever allowed to be done, and on many a Sunday afternoon Colonel 
Lee, Bible in hand, discoursed earnestly and thoughtfully upon the truths 
of religion to his negro servants and others gathered in a grove on the 
grounds. The servants adored their good master and mistress, for they 
always had kind treatment, and were sure of sympathy, of patient attention 
in the time of sickness and trouble. 



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205 



Some of these servants are still living on and around the Arlington 
property, and they tell many stories of " Massa Lee " and ''Missy Lee," 
of their kindnesses, gentle forbearance, and tender spirit. " Dey was de 
best folks in ole Virginny," said one negro ; " dey treated de po' ole slaves 
like as if dey was as good as dey was. Massa Lee, he would put his han' 
on my head an' say, ' Sam, do yer duty an' be a good man.' " I worked 
on de Lee place," said another negro whose head was covered with snow- 
white curly locks, "an' I wish I was dere now. Dere wa^ plenty to eat 
an' drink, an' I nebber have had such a good time since." 




STATUE OF GENERAL SCOTT AT THE SOLDIERS' HOME. 



20 5 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

The mansion which Custis erected is a two-story brick building, one 
hundred and fort;- feet long. There is a central structure with a wide, 
deep portico, which "las eight ponderous columns, and there are two wings. 
The mansion is CO' jred with plaster and painted a yellowish brown. It is 
located on the hignest eastern bank of the estate, and from its portico and 
windows the view is superb. It is a fine specimen of the old mansions of 
Virginia, and is something like Jefferson's mansion at Monticello. From 
the portico a laige door opens into a wide hall-way, which extends to the 
rear of th • house. There are two parlors and a conservatory on the left 
of the hall, ami on the right is a spacious dining-room, with an arch and 
pillars in the c- -litre of it, and there are small rooms leading from it. The 
upper story has a number of good-sized rooms. The mansion is well pre- 
served ; it bears no appearance of decay, and is likely to last for many 
more years with proper care. The upper story is occupied by the official 
in charge of the military cemetery, and the rooms of the first story con- 
tain a few chairs and desks. On the walls are hung plans and pictures of 
the cemetery. Adjacent to the mansion are several small brick structures 
used by the house-servants of the Lee family. 

Up to the time of Lee's departure from Arlington for Richmond to 
enter the Confederate service, the mansion contained a large collection of 
Washington relics which Custis had brought from Mount Vernon. In the 
parlors were a number of ancient paintings which had formerly hung on 
the walls of Washington's home, and among these were the portraits of 
Washington and his wife, painted soon after their marriage. The parlors 
also contained many pieces of furniture from Mount Vernon. There were 
Washington's bookcase, the china dining-set presented to him by the 
Society of the Cincinnati, the china tea-set presented to Martha Washing- 
ton by Lafayette and the French officers of the Revolution, curtains and a 
fire-screen embroidered by her, brass and silver candlesticks, a clock, fire- 
tongs, the mahogany chairs and tables that were in the state parlor at 
Mount Vernon, and other articles of historical value. In one of the other 
rooms was the mahogany bedstead on which Washington lay when he 
died, and in the stable was the clumsy old yellow coach which Washing- 
ton used all the time he was President. All these articles were bequeathed 
to Custis by his grandmother, and were sacredly cherished by him. 

When Arlington was deserted by the Lee family in the spring of 1861, 
they had a few of the relics removed to a place of safety, but they had so 
little belief that there would be " much of a war" that they were content 
to leave the estate and the greater part of its historic treasures in the 
keeping of a superintendent until they should return. But they never 
came back to beautiful Arlington, and its shady walks and the old mansion 



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207 




SUMMER RESIDENCE OF PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED 
STATES AT THE SOLDIERS' HOME. 



'■'■'- knew them no 
■ : - : ~ ; more forever. 

United States 
troops soon took possession 
of the estate, and the gov- 
ernment seized the Wash- 
ington relics, and they are 
now deposited in the National Museum. In 1869, Mrs. Lee endeavored 
to obtain them, but Congress refused her request. Arlington was sold 
at a tax sale in January, 1864, under the tax act of 1862. It could not 
be confiscated, as it was entailed property. Taxes were levied on it, and, 
as they were not paid, the sale took place, and the government bought 
the estate for $23,000. A national military cemetery was established here 
in May, 1864. 

Some years after the war, George Washington Custis Lee, the eldest 
son of General Lee, having inherited the estate at his mother's death, 
brought suit for its recovery. He claimed that the tax sale was invalid, 
because a tender of the taxes might have been made if the tax commis- 
sioners had not required the tender to be made in person. The suit went 
to the Supreme Court of the United States, and that court gave judgment 
for Mr. Lee. He at once proposed a compromise with the government, 
which was accepted by Congress, and, in 1884, Mr. Lee transferred all his 
right, title, and interest in the estate to the United States for the sum of 
$150,000. 



2o8 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

That portion of Arlington set apart for the cemetery borders on the 
road which runs from the Aqueduct bridge, at Georgetown, to Alexandria. 
The cemetery extends 3500 feet on the Alexandria road, and runs back to 
the westward for a half-mile. The grounds are enclosed with a low rubble 
stone wall, and are very picturesque. They are thickly covered with tall, 
magnificent oaks, which have been growing for nearly two hundred years. 
Broad, well-made roads wind through ravines and over hills, and there 
are innumerable rich green lawns, studded with great beds of flowers and 
variegated plants. 

At the main entrance gate is a high arch composed of marble columns 
taken from the portico of the old building in Washington, occupied by 
the War Department until 1873, when it was demolished. Three of the 
columns are inscribed with the names of Scott, Lincoln, and Stanton. 
The greater number of burials are in the southerly section, a short dis- 
tance from the mansion. Here is an almost level field of many acres, and 
on this field are thousands of graves in parallel rows, stretching away 
almost as far as one can see. The graves are level with the sod, the 
mound system customary in most cemeteries having been dispensed with. 
There is a small marble headstone at each grave bearing the name of the 
soldier and the name of his state. This vast burial-field is covered with 
trees and carpeted with luxuriant turf. It is a peaceful resting-place. 
The patriot sons of every Northern state are here sleeping the last sleep. 
The field is scrupulously cared for day by day by the government officials. 
Flowers are constantly planted, the grass is cut, weeds are removed from 
the paths, and everything possible is done to keep it in the best condition. 
There are other burial-fields in the cemetery, but they are not so extensive 
as this one. 

Near the mansion is a large granite tomb, in which repose the bodies 
of 21 [I unknown soldiers, gathered after the war from the battle-fields 
of Bull Run and the route to the Rappahannock. The tomb is sur- 
rounded by cannon, and shaded by four gigantic oaks. In all there are 
16,264 soldiers buried in this cemetery, nearly IOOO more than in the 
Gettysburg cemetery. Record books, containing the name and descrip- 
tion of every soldier who was known, together with the locality of his 
grave and the date of his burial, are to be seen in the mansion. 

On the borders of the burial-fields are large iron frames containing 
selections from a poem written by Colonel Theodore O'Hara, a heroic 
soldier of the Mexican war, and read by him at the dedication of the 
monument erected by the State of Kentucky in Frankfort cemetery to 
the memory of her citizens who fell in that struggle. O'Hara was a 
Southern poet and journalist, and for some time was the editor of The 



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209 



Mobile Register. He died in Columbus, Georgia, in 1867. His poem 
was selected on account of its singular beauty and appropriateness. The 
selections are in large white letters, and are very conspicuous on the 
frames which contain them. 

O'Hara's poem is entitled " The Bivouac of the Dead," and the verses 
displayed in the cemetery are as follows : 

" The muffled drum's sad roll has beat 

The soldier's last tattoo ! 
No more on life's parade shall meet 

That brave and fallen few. 
On fame's eternal camping-ground 

Their silent tents are spread, 
And glory guards with solemn round 

The bivouac of the dead. 

" No rumor of the foe's advance 

Now swells upon the wind, 
Nor troubled thought at midnight haunts 

Of loved ones left behind. 
No vision of the morrow's strife 

The warrior's dream alarms, 
No braying horn, no screaming fife 

At dawn shall call to arms. 

" The neighing troop, the flashing blade, 

The bugle's stirring blast, 
The charge, the dreadful cannonade, 

The din and shout are past. 
Nor war's wild notes, nor glory's peal 

Shall thrill with fierce delight 
Those breasts that never more may feel 

The rapture of the fight. 

" Rest on, embalmed and sainted dead ! 
Dear is the blood you gave, — 
No impious footsteps here shall tread 

The herbage of your grave ; 
Nor shall your glory be forgot 
While fame her record keeps, 
Or honor points the hallowed spot 
Where valor proudly sleeps." 
14 




CHAPTER XVII. 

THE CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART— THE BUILDING AND ITS ART TREASURES- 
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF W. W. CORCORAN— THE COLUMBIAN UNIVERSITY- 
GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE— HOWARD UNIVERSITY— GRAVE OF 
JOHN HOWARD PAYNE. 

|OME twenty-five years ago Mr. William W. Corcoran, the 
eminent banker and philanthropist of Washington, conceived 
the idea of establishing a public gallery of art. He had a 
fine collection of paintings and statuary, valued at many 
thousands of dollars, which he thought would be a nucleus for such 
a gallery, and to this collection he proposed to add a large number 
of the best art-works of Europe and America. In 1859 he began the 
erection of a handsome and capacious building to contain the gallery, the 
architect being Mr. James Ren wick, of New York. Before the building 
was completed the Civil War began, and in 1861 the government took 
possession of the building for the use of the Quartermaster-General, and 
retained it until the early part of 1869. After the government had 
vacated the building, Mr. Corcoran deeded it to trustees to be held 
forever as a gallery of art for the use and benefit of the public. The 
deed of trust was dated May 10, 1869, and stated that the institution was 
to be for " the perpetual establishment and encouragement of painting, 
sculpture, and the fine arts generally," and that " it should be open to 
visitors without charge two days in the week, and "on other days at 
moderate and reasonable charges, to be applied to the current expenses 
of procuring and keeping in order the building and its contents." 

The institution was granted an act of incorporation by Congress May 
24, 1870, and was forever exempted from taxation. After considerable 
reconstruction, the building was completed in 1871, but it was not until 
January 19, 1 874, that the gallery was opened to the public. Many fine 
paintings, statues, casts, bronzes, etc., had been purchased in Europe by 
one of the trustees, and, with Mr. Corcoran's collections which were 
deposited in the gallery some months before it was opened, the exhibi- 
tion from the first was very extensive and interesting. Since 1874 the 



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THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



gallery has greatly developed. Year by year valuable art-works have 
been added, so that at the present time the gallery is one of the finest 
in the United States. It is managed by a board of nine trustees, and has 
a curator and assistant curator. It has an endowment fund of nearly 
$900,000, given by Mr. Corcoran, and its yearly income is large. The 
building and land cost $250,000, and the Corcoran collections of statues 
and pictures were valued at $100,000. The gallery is open each week- 
day, and is free on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. On other days 
a fee of twenty-five cents is charged. Every Monday, Wednesday, and 
Friday art-students are permitted to copy the paintings and to draw from 
the casts. The gallery always has many visitors, and on some days there 
are more than fifteen hundred people inspecting its treasures of art. 
During 1884 there were over 75,000 visitors. 

The building stands on Pennsylvania avenue at Seventeenth street, and 
is opposite the State, War, and Navy building. It is one hundred and six 
feet nine inches in length, and one hundred and twenty-five feet six inches 
in depth, and has two stories with a mansard roof. It is constructed of 
brick, with facings and ornaments of brownstone. The front has an im- 
posing effect, it being divided into recesses by a series of pilasters with 




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213 




WILLIAM W. CORCORAN. 



finely sculptured Corinthian capitals. There are four niches in which are 
marble statues, and over the entrance door are carvings of trophies and 
wreaths of foliage. The Corcoran monogram is carved above the door, 
and over the central pediment is the inscription, "Dedicated to Art." 
There is a bronze medallion of Mr. Corcoran within the central pediment, 
and encircling it are carvings of foliage. Statues of Phidias, Raphael, 
Michael Angelo, and Albert Durer are in the niches on the front of the 
building, and statues of Titian, Da Vinci, Rubens, Rembrandt, Murillo, 
Canova, and Crawford are in niches on the Seventeenth street side. 
The statues were executed by M. Ezekiel at Rome, and are of Carrara 
marble. 

In the first story of the building are the halls of sculpture and bronzes, 
and in the second story are the halls of paintings. All the halls are large, 
high, and well lighted, and are excellently arranged. The main hall of 
sculpture is nearly one hundred feet long, and about twenty-five feet wide, 
and the main hall of bronzes is nearly as large. The main hall of paint- 
ings is about the same size as the main hall of sculpture, and its ceiling is 



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handsomely frescoed and decorated. There are three other halls of 
paintings. The gallery contains nearly two hundred casts of antique 
marbles, and many original works of modern sculptors. It has a large 
number of fine bronzes, and extensive collections of ceramic ware. There 
are over two hundred paintings on exhibition, representing many of the 
leading artists of the world. The gallery has portraits of the Presidents 
of the United States from Washington to Arthur, painted by distinguished 
artists, and many portraits of men eminent in American history. In the 
southwest hall is the Ogle Tayloe collection of statuary, paintings, bronzes, 
ceramic ware, and other articles bequeathed to the gallery by the late Mrs. 
B. Ogle Tayloe of Washington. In the collection are many articles of 
great historical interest. 

Mr. William W. Corcoran, to whom the public are greatly indebted 
for this magnificent gallery, was born at Georgetown, December 27, 1798, 
and has passed his long and useful life in the District of Columbia. 
Thomas Corcoran, his father, was a native of Ireland. He settled in 
Georgetown when a youth, and for many years was a highly respected 
citizen of the ancient city, at one time serving a term as mayor. William 
began his business career as a dry-goods merchant, and subsequently 
entered the banking business in Washington, forming a partnership in 
1839 with the late George W. Riggs, the son of a wealthy Maryland 
gentleman. In 1844 the firm of Riggs and Corcoran purchased the 
building on Pennsylvania avenue opposite the northern front of the 
Treasury building, which had been occupied by the historic United States 
Bank. Here they built up an extensive banking business, which has been 
continued to the present time under the firm-name of Riggs and Company. 
It is stated that " during the Mexican war the firm took extensive loans 
needed by the government, and though it proved a hazardous operation 
they emerged from it with safety, honor, and vast emoluments. This is 
considered to have been the main foundation of Mr. Corcoran's great 
wealth." 

Mr. Corcoran was marriea in 1835 to Louise Morris, the daughter of 
Commodore Morris. She died in 1840, leaving a son and daughter. The 
son died shortly after his mother, but the daughter grew to womanhood, 
and for a number of years gracefully presided over her father's house. 
She became the wife of the Hon. George Eustis, a member of Congress 
from Louisiana. In 1867 she died of consumption at Cannes, France, 
leaving three children. 

Since early manhood Mr. Corcoran has resided in Washington, and 
for many years in a fine mansion on H street. He has ever been a public- 
spirited citizen, and has done a great deal of beneficial work, constantly 



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215 




THE LOUISE HOME. 



using his wealth for the aid and advancement of worthy objects. In 1871 
he founded the institution known as " The Louise Home," which was 
named " after his wife and daughter as a testimonial to their devoted con- 
cern for the poor and unfortunate." This noble institution is situated on 
Massachusetts avenue, between Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets. The 
building is of brick and four stories in height, and has a mansard roof. 
Its grounds cover an entire square. The interior of the building is 
arranged in a very convenient manner, and all the appointments of the 
home are elegant. The home is intended for women of refinement and 
culture who have been reduced from affluence to poverty and need assist- 
ance in their old age. At present there are forty-two inmates. The cost 
of the building and grounds was $200,000. The home has an endowment 
fund of $250,000, and is managed by a board of nine lady trustees. 

The Columbian University is one of the leading educational institu- 
tions of Washington. It was originally incorporated by act of Congress, 



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February 9, 1821, and was then known as the Columbian College. On 
March 3, 1873, it was incorporated as a university. For many years the 
institution occupied a building on Meridian Hill, a short distance beyond 
the northern boundary-line of Washington, but in 1884 it took possession 
of a new and magnificent building especially erected for it on the 
southeast corner of H and Fifteenth streets. This building is four stories 
in height, and is constructed of fine pressed and moulded bricks. It has 
terra-cotta ornamentations of artistic design. It has a frontage of one 
hundred and twenty-one feet on Fifteenth street, and of sixty-four and 
one-half feet on H street. There is an annex extending back on the 
south one hundred and fifty-six feet. The interior of the building is 
arranged in a convenient manner for the purposes of the university. 
The president of the university is James C. Welling, and there is an able 
corps of professors and instructors in the collegiate departments, and in 
the departments of law and medicine. The medical school holds its 
sessions in a fine building on H street, between Thirteenth and Four- 
teenth streets, which was erected for the university by Mr. William W. 
Corcoran, at a cost of $40,000. The law school is held in the university 
building. There are many students in the different departments, and the 
university is in a very prosperous condition. 

The Government Hospital for the Insane, or, as it is often called, St. 




COLUMBIAN UNIVERSITY. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



217 




JAMES C. WELLING, PRESIDENT OF COLUMBIAN UNIVERSITY. 



Elizabeth's Asylum, is situated on a hill which rises from the banks of 
the Anacostia river, near Greenleaf's Point, and is about a mile from the 
city of Washington. It is intended for the insane of the army and navy, 
and also receives the insane of the District of Columbia. It has high 
rank among institutions of this kind, and is one of the largest in the 
world. The hospital building was erected in 1855, at a cost of $ 1 ,ooo,000, 
and has accommodations for nearly one thousand patients. The grounds 
of the institution cover more than four hundred acres, and are laid out in 
an attractive manner. 

Howard University is located on a hill near the northern boundary- 
line of Washington, and is adjacent to what is called the Seventh street 
road. This famous institution, which was established for the purpose of 
giving a higher education to the colored race, has about three hundred 
students, and is in a flourishing condition. Its principal building is large 
and well arranged, and it has extensive grounds, valued at many thou- 
sands of dollars. It has schools of theology, - medicine, and law, besides 



218 



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HOWARD UNIVERSITY. 



collegiate departments, and is well equipped for educational purposes. 
It was established in 1867, and was named after its first president, General 
Oliver O. Howard. 

In the beautiful Oak Hill Cemetery at Georgetown is the grave of 
John Howard Payne, author of " Home, Sweet Home." His remains 
were removed from Tunis, in Africa, where they had been interred for 
many years, and brought to America through the liberality of Mr. 
William W. Corcoran. On the 9th of June, 1883, the remains were 
interred in Oak Hill with impressive ceremony. 




CHAPTER, XVIII. 

COLUMBIA INSTITUTION FOR THE DEAF AND DUMB AND NATIONAL DEAF-MUTE 
COLLEGE— BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS— BALTIMORE AND POTOMAC RAILROAD 
DEPOT— THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD— THE MASONIC TEMPLE 
—MAYORS OF WASHINGTON— THE CEMETERIES— DISTRICT COURT-HOUSE. 

N the beautiful tract of one hundred acres, situated just beyond 
the northeastern boundary-line of Washington, and known as 
Kendall Green, are the buildings occupied by the Columbia 
Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and National Deaf-Mute 
College. The institution was incorporated by Congress in 1857, and at 
first was intended for the primary education of the deaf-mute children of 
the District of Columbia; but, in 1864, it was authorized to establish a 
collegiate department, to be called the National Deaf-Mute College, which 
was to admit students from all parts of the United States. The originator 
of this excellent institution was Amos Kendall, who was Postmaster- 
General from 1835 to 1840. He had a residence on the green called by 
his name, and, becoming interested in the unfortunate children deprived 
of speech and hearing, he established a school for them in a small wooden 
house on his estate, securing as teacher Edward M. Gallaudet, a son of 
Dr. Thomas H. Gallaudet, of Hartford, Connecticut, the first instructor 
of the deaf and dumb in America. In this humble way the institution 
began its career, and for some time it was almost entirely supported by 
Mr. Kendall. In 1859 ne erected a brick building for its use, and also set 
apart for it ten acres of his green for gardens and playgrounds. He gave 
freely of his limited means and labored earnestly until his death, in 1869, 
for the success of this noble educational work. Scholarships were en- 
dowed by prominent people in various parts of the country, and year by 
year the institution attracted public attention and developed steadily. In 
1872 the entire Kendall Green was purchased by Congress for $80,000, 
for the use of the institution, and since then the government has liberally 
sustained these " silent schools." 

No institution of the kind in the country has a higher rank and 
character. Its college is the only one in the world where deaf-mutes 

219 



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221 




EDWARD M. GALLAUDET, PRESI- 
DENT OF THE NATIONAL DEAF- 
MUTE COLLEGE. 



can obtain a thorough collegiate education, 
and it has already graduated nearly three 
hundred young men, who have gone forth to 
engage in the affairs of life as well fitted for 
their duties as those blessed with the ability 
to hear and talk. Some of its graduates have 
attained distinguished success in the profes- 
sions, and, as lawyers, teachers, editors, and 
writers, have reflected' great credit on the in- 
stitution which afforded them the opportunity 
to become well educated and able to compete 
successfully with those who were not " sent 
into this breathing world scarce half made 
up." Its students are from every quarter of 
the United States, and some have come from 
foreign lands. 

The institution has " a group of picturesque and stately buildings," 
the central one being of the pointed Gothic style prevailing during the 
fourteenth century. This building was erected in 1871, and is two 
hundred and sixteen feet long and seventy-six feet wide, the material 
being brownstone with courses of white sandstone. The roofs are of 
blue and red slate laid in courses. The other buildings are of good size 
and of pleasing architecture. The grounds are laid out in an attractive 
manner, and have lawns, gardens, and wooded fields. The property of 
the institution is valued at about $400,000. 

In the primary school there are usually about fifty scholars, who are 
instructed in the sign-language and in articulation and lip-reading. After 
they are able to converse freely by these methods, they are taught the 
elements of an English education. The scholars are mostly young, but 
occasionally there will be seen in the classes matured men and women 
who had not been able to receive thorough instruction and training in 
their youth. The teachers are skilful and very patient, and, as a rule, the 
scholars make satisfactory progress, many of them in a very short time 
acquiring such proficiency in the deaf-mute system that they are able to 
converse and understand, to read and write, remarkably well. 

The college curriculum embraces the Latin, French, and German lan- 
guages, the higher mathematics, chemistry, botany, astronomy, geology, 
mineralogy, physiology, zoology, English philology, ancient and modern 
history, etc. The students have the use of an excellent museum, and a 
library especially valuable for its collections of rare works pertaining to 
the education of deaf-mutes. 



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THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



What is known as the " French method" of instruction for the deaf 
and dumb is generally used in the Columbia institution and college, but 
the German and English methods are taught to some extent. The 
French method consists of the familiar sign-language, and was devised 
by the Abbe de l'Epee in 1760, and afterwards was perfected by the 
Abbe Sicard. It was introduced in the United States by Dr. T. H. Gal- 
laudet in 18 17. The other methods, which are practically one, teach the 
deaf-mutes articulation and how to interpret the motions of the lips when 
they are spoken to. 

There are about thirty-five thousand deaf-mutes in the United States, 

and about one-fifth of the 
number are under in- 
struction in the various 
institutions provided for 
them. The state institu- 
tion in Illinois has more 
than five hundred schol- 
ars, and is the largest in 
the world. 




Washington has numerous benevolent 
institutions, some of which receive sub- 
stantial aid from the government. The 
City Asylum, on the banks of the Anacostia 
river, cares for the poor of the district. Its 
building was erected in 1859. The Freed- 
man's Hospital, in the northern part of the 
city, was especially intended for the colored 
people, but of late years white patients have 
been received. It is amply provided with 



BALTIMORE AND POTOMAC RAIL- 
ROAD DEPOT — GARFIELD MEMO- 
RIAL TABLET. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



223 




VIEW ON SEVENTH STREET. 



all necessary appliances for its work, and can accommodate about three 
hundred patients. The students in the medical school of Howard 
University receive practical instruction in this hospital. The Providence 
Hospital, in the southeast quarter of Washington, is a large and important 
institution, and is in charge of the Sisters of Charity. It has a large 
medical staff and ample accommodations for patients. It was founded in 
1862, and its present fine brick building was erected in 1867, partly by 
the help of Congress. Every year an appropriation for the hospital is 
made by Congress, and the non-resident poor who need medical or 
surgical treatment can receive it here. The Garfield Memorial Hospital, 
the City Orphan Asylum, the Children's Hospital, the Columbia Hospital 
for Women, the St. John's Hospital, the Home for the Aged, the National 
Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphan Home, the St. Ann's Infant Asylum, the St. 



/ 



224 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



Joseph's Male Orphan Asylum, the St. Vincent Female Orphan Asy- 
lum, and the Epiphany Church Home are the prominent institutions of 
benevolence, and they accomplish a vast beneficial work. 

In the Washington depot of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad 
President James A. Garfield was shot by Charles J. Guiteau, on the 
morning of July 2, 1 88 1. The President, accompanied by James G. 
Blaine, Secretary of State, had arrived at the depot to take a train east, 
for a visit to his wife, who was sojourning at Long Branch, and after- 
wards intended to visit various parts of New England. As he entered 
the ladies' waiting-room, Guiteau advanced towards him from the side of 
the room, and, quickly pulling out a pistol, fired several shots at him. 
The President fell to the floor, pierced by the bullets. He was removed 
in a few moments to another room, and afterwards carried to the White 
House, where he lay in intense pain and distress all through the summer, 
patiently bearing his suffering and uttering no word of complaint. The 
prayers of the whole country — ay, of the world — were for his recovery, but 
it was not so to be. He died on the 19th of September, 1 881, at Elberon, 
New Jersey, whither he had been removed in the hope that the sea air 
would benefit him. Guiteau was arrested as he was leaving the depot 
after his dastardly act, tried, convicted of murder in spite of his pretence 
of insanity, and executed in the jail of the District of Columbia. Shortly 
after Garfield's death the railroad company placed a beautiful marble 
tablet on the wall of the room, directly over the spot where he fell, as a 
memorial to him. 




IhJfe 



fffl'M-r: ."; 




^PSE 




VIEW ON F STREET. 






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225 




THE MASONIC TEMPLE. 



There are about three thousand Masons in the District of Columbia, 
jon after the city of Washington was founded a lodge of Masons was 
established, and in 18 16 there were two lodges. They had their meetings 
in a small wooden building in the southern quarter of the city, near the 
banks of the Potomac. The various lodges, chapters, and commanderies 
now occupy the Masonic Temple, which is situated on the northwest 
corner of F and Ninth streets. This building was erected in 1868, at an 
expense of nearly $200,000, and is constructed mainly of Nova Scotia 
freestone. The front is ornamented with Masonic emblems. All the 
rooms occupied by the order are handsomely furnished and adorned. 
In the second story of the building is a public hall used for various 
entertainments. 

During the years that Washington had a municipal government — from 
1802 to 1871 — the following persons held the office of mayor: 1802, 
Robert Brent; 1812, Daniel Rapine; 1813, James H. Blake; 1817, Ben- 
jamin G. Orr; 1819, Samuel M. Smallwood ; 1822, T. Carberry; 1824, 
Roger C. Weightman ; 1827, Joseph Gales, Jr.; 1830, John P. Van Ness; 
1834, W. A. Bradley; 1836, Peter Force; 1840, W. W. Seaton ; 1850, 
Walter Lenox; 1852, John VV. Maury; 1854, John T. Towers; 1856, 

15 



226 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



W. B. Magruder; 1858, J. G. Berrett; 1862, Richard Wallach : 1868, S. 
J. Bowen ; 1870, M. G. Emery. In 1871 a territorial govei 1 nt was 
established, and Henry D. Cooke was the first governor, h< ig the 
office until 1873, when it was assumed by Alexander R. Sher. The 

present government, by three commissioners, was instituted ir 

Seventh and F streets are prominent business localities. ontain 

a large number of fine buildings. On Seventh street the* ma 

retail stores. There are numerous banking-houses and real te es*- 

lishments on F street, and year by year the street is becoming the c 
of important financial transactions. 

The Congressional Cemetery is situated in the southe? 
the city, on the banks of the Anacostia, or Eastern Branch o t« .nac 

river. It is about fifty acres in extent, and was original'; >ut by 

Christ Episcopal Church in 1807. Many men of prominence in the early 
history of the country are buried here, and in the centn grounds 

are numerous sandstone cenotaphs, which were erected in m nory of 
deceased members of Congress. Oak Hill Cemetery has a picturesque 
situation on Georgetown Heights, and extends along the iks of Rock 
creek. It is one of the most beautiful burial-groir Jni ted States. 

The remains of many persons of national fame nterred in it. Other 

prominent cemeteries are Mount Olivet Cemetery, Glenwood Ceme- 
tery, Rock Creek Cemetery, Prospect Hill Cemetery, and Graceland 
Cemetery. 

The District Court-House is located on the south front of Judiciary 
Square, and is a building of Grecian architecture. It was planned by 
George Hadfield, and was begun in 1820, but was not completed until 




THE DISTRICT COURT-HOUSE. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



227 




THE W. B. MOSES BUILDING. 



1849. It is of brick, covered with stucco, is two stories in height, and 
has a frontage of two hundred and fifty feet. It was originally intended 
for the City Hall, as well as for the courts of the district, and was occu- 
pied b^' the municipal officers until 1871. The government purchased it 
in i8;'3, and at present it is entirely used for court purposes. Many 
famous cases have been tried in this building during the past fifty years. 







■■'"■» 1 ^. ' 





CHAPTER XIX. 

THE MEMORIAL TO MARTIN LUTHER— ARMY MEDICAL MUSEUM— THE GREAT MEDICAL 
LIBRARY OF THE GOVERNMENT-VARIOUS CITY INSTITUTIONS-THE WASHINGTON 
NAVY YARD-GENERAL LAND OFFICE— THE PUBLIC LANDS-BUREAU OF INDIAN 
AFFAIRS-OTHER INTERESTING MATTERS. 

IRECTLY in front of the Lutheran Memorial Church, in the 
northwest quarter bi Washington, stands a huge bronze statue 
of Martin Luther, which was erected in May, 1884, by the 
contributions of members of the Lutheran denomination 
throughout the United States. The statue fronts on Thomas Circle, and 
has a conspicuous position. At the unveiling ceremony there was a large 
assemblage, Lutherans from every portion of the country being present. 
Addresses were made by prominent churchmen, and Luther's battle hymn 
was sung by many voices. This memorial to the great Protestant reformer 
is a duplication of the central figure of the famous bronze group which 
was erected in the city of Worms during the summer of 1868, and which 
commemorates the entire story of the reformation. The figure is eleven 
and one-half feet in height, and stands upon a granite pedestal of the same 
height. A solid block of granite constitutes the base of the pedestal, and 
resting upon this are two smaller blocks, on one of which are the words, 
" Martin Luther," this being the only inscription on the memorial. Luther 
is represented as he appeared at the conclusion of his defence at the Diet 
of Worms, when he uttered the memorable words, " Here I stand ; I can- 
not do otherwise. God help me ! Amen." He wears a clerical gown, and 
holds a closed Bible in his left hand. His right hand, firmly clenched, 
rests on the sacred book. His head is thrown back in a dauntless manner, 
and his face expresses sturdy resolution. The figure is posed naturally 
and gracefully, and is suggestive of a strong, resolute personality. 

The idea of having this memorial erected at the capital of the nation 
was first suggested by a gentleman in New York in the early part of 
1883. The suggestion received the hearty endorsement of prominent 
clergymen of the Lutheran denomination, and a call for contributions was 
issued at once. There was such a prompt and liberal response to the call 

229 



230 



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' ™ I 



STATUE OF MARTIN LUTHER. 



that in April, 1883, the statue was ordered to be cast at the foundry, in 
Germany, where the Worms memorial was cast. When the statue was 
finished, it was transported from Hamburg, across the ocean, to Wash- 
ington free of cost. It was thought at first that permission might be 
obtained to place the statue in one of the public reservations, but, as 
objections were made for various reasons, the Lutheran Memorial Church 
transferred to the statue association a part of the land on the south of the 
church for the location of the statue. The cost of the statue and pedestal 
was $9000. 

The Army Medical Museum, on Tenth street, is a unique institution. 
It is located in Ford's old theatre, where President Lincoln was shot. 
After this tragic event the government closed the theatre, and finally 
purchased the property. The interior of the building was remodelled 
and adapted for the use of the Surgeon-General, and now contains a large 
force of clerks and officials constantly employed in examining and com- 
piling the vast collections of records pertaining to the medical and hos- 
pital department of the army. From the records of the Civil War is 
gathered the information used in deciding pension claims. The museum 
occupies the third story of the building. It was established for the pur- 
pose of illustrating the diseases and casualties incident to armies and war, 
but it really includes all the prominent objects of medical and surgical 
study. Nothing like it is to be found elsewhere in the world. Many 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



23I 



years of arduous labor and a large amount of money have been expended 
in developing and perfecting it, and it is now a wonderful exhibition, 
and greatly instructive to those professionally interested in its range of 
subjects. It has some twenty-two thousand specimens systematically 
arranged in six sections. In the anatomical section there is a very large 
collection of human crania arranged for the purpose of ethnological 
study, and in the section of comparative anatomy there are about fifteen 
hundred specimens of skeletons of American mammals. In the mis- 
cellaneous sections are the latest appliances for the treatment of diseases, 
all sorts of surgical instruments, and models of ambulances, hospitals, 
etc. The surgical, medical, and microscopical sections are very full and 
interesting. 

On the second floor of the museum building is the great medical 
library of the government, which contains sixty-seven thousand books 
and seventy-five thousand pamphlets relating to medicine and surgery 
and the allied sciences. It is stated by competent authority that " this 
library not only contains more medical literature than the British Museum 




ALBAUGH'S GRAND OPERA HOUSE AND INFANTRY ARMORY. 



232 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




NATIONAL RIFLES' ARMORY. 



or the National Library of France, but that it covers a wider field, and is 
a better practical reference and working collection for medical purposes 
than either of these great libraries." The library was begun in 1830 by 
Surgeon-General Lovell, but for many years only numbered a few hun- 
dred books. In 1865 it had two thousand books, and in 1872 nearly thir- 
teen thousand. Within a few years the increase has been very great, owing 
largely to the fact that physicians in various parts of the country donate to 
it their books and pamphlets. It has books in all the principal European 
languages, and some of the volumes are over two hundred years old. 
Physicians are permitted to use the library gratuitously. A fire-proof 
building is shortly to be erected on the grounds of the Smithsonian 
Institution, at a cost of $200,000, for the library and medical museum. 

The building erected in 1884 by the Washington Light Infantry, on 
Fifteenth street, south of Pennsylvania avenue, is of imposing proportions, 
and unique and graceful in its architecture. The infantry organization 
occupies a part of the building, and the remainder is Albaugh's Grand 
Opera House, one of the largest and most magnificent theatres in the 
country. The National Rifles' armory on G street is a handsome brick 
structure, excellently arranged for military purposes. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



233 




YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION BUILDING. 



The Young Men's Christian Association occupies a pretty building on 
New York avenue. The association has a free reading-room well supplied 
with newspapers and periodicals, and in its special line is constantly- 
accomplishing a very beneficial work. 

At the eastern extremity of the city, on the banks of the Anacostia, 
is the jail of the District of Columbia. It is a stone structure, and was 
erected at a cost of $400,000. In this jail Guiteau was executed, and 
many other murderers have here paid the extreme penalty of the law. 

The Washington Navy Yard has an excellent location on the Anacostia 
about a mile southeast of the Capitol. It is under the direction of the 
Bureau of Yards and Docks of the Navy Department, and its command- 
ing officer is a commodore of the navy. It was established shortly after 
the government took possession of the capital city, and during the British 
invasion in 18 14 its workshops and other buildings were destroyed. For 
more than half a century many of the largest and finest ships of war 
possessed by the United States were constructed in this yard. At present 
it is devoted to the manufacture of ordnance and various articles used in 
the equipment of naval vessels. It has great workshops and foundries, 



234 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



employing many men. In the naval museum attached to the yard are 
extensive collections of relics and other objects of interest. Near the 
yard are the Marine Barracks, where the marine corps of the navy has its 
headquarters. 

The General Land Office, which is a bureau of the Department of the 
Interior, is charged with the care of the vast domain belonging to the 
government known as the public lands. It is under the supervision of a 
commissioner, whose'salary is $4000 per year, and has about five hundred 
officials and clerks. The work of this bureau is very important, and 
requires the most competent and intelligent consideration. In the division 
devoted to the examination of contested homestead cases there is a great 
accumulation of business, and in all the other divisions the business is in 
arrears because it cannot possibly be disposed of promptly on account of 
the lack of a sufficient working force. All the work of this bureau has 
to be done very carefully, and it requires a long time to examine and 
decide the majority of the matters brought up. The public lands yet to 
be disposed of amount to nearly 1,900,000,000 acres, situated in nineteen 
states and territories. About one-half of this vast estate has been sur- 
veyed by the surveyors-general of the government, and is open for settle- 
ment. The unsurveyed lands include all the Indian reservations. Land 
offices are established in the districts where the public lands are situated, 
each office being in charge of an official designated as Register of the 
Land Office. In these offices all the records of the surveyed lands are 
kept, and all applications for lands under the homestead, pre-emption, and 
timber culture laws are filed. 

There are two classes of the public lands. The lands of the first class 
are the alternate sections reserved by the government in all the grants of 




THE DISTRICT JAIL. 



236 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




■ V tfi"tittm; ' ^i»tttitlj^tiitt^fitt>t.fcg.iiiifffif fttnttjr 5 




ODD FELLOWS' BUILDING. 

lands to railroad corporations. They are held at a minimum price of two 
dollars and a half per acre. The lands of the second class are those 
situated away from the lines of railroads. They are held at a minimum 
price of one dollar and a quarter per acre. These lands can be acquired 
by purchase or by settlement under the homestead laws. The right to 
acquire eighty acres of the first-class lands, or one hundred and sixty 
acres of the second-class, is given to every citizen of the United States by 
the homestead laws if he will take up his residence on the tract selected 
and actually cultivate it five years. All the payment he will have to make 
will be for the legal fees and commissions, which range from seven to 
thirty-four dollars. At the expiration of the five years of residence and 
cultivation a patent, or full title, to the land is issued by the land office at 
Washington. 

One hundred and sixty acres of land in any part of the surveyed 
territory not previously claimed may be taken up by an actual settler 
under the pre-emption law, and purchased by him at the price per acre 
affixed to the section by the government. Before the full title is obtained 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



237 



certain provisions of the law have to be complied with. Under the timber 
culture laws, which were enacted for the purpose of promoting the growth 
of trees on the public domain, any settler on a homestead of one hundred 
and sixty acres, who has planted and cultivated for two years ten acres of 
trees, receives the patent for his homestead in three years instead of five. 
Settlers on homesteads of eighty acres, who plant and cultivate five acres 
of trees for two years, are also allowed the same reduction of time in the 
issuing of their patents. Over eighty millions of acres of the public lands 
have been disposed of under the homestead laws since 1870. 

Another important bureau of the Department of the Interior is the 
Bureau of Indian Affairs. All matters concerning the nearly 250,000 
Indians who are cared for by the government are in the charge of this 
bureau. The Commissioner of Indian Affairs has a salary of $4000 per 
year, and his office force consists of about one hundred officials and clerks. 
Upon the Indian reservations in the far west are fifty-nine agencies whose 
officials report to the bureau at Washington. About eight million dollars 
are expended for the Indian tribes every year. 

The Bureau of Education, which is under the direction of the Depart- 
ment of the Interior, was established in 1867 for the purpose of collecting 
and diffusing reliable information in regard to education in the United 
States and in foreign countries, and for other purposes connected with 
educational work. The bureau is in charge of a commissioner, with a 
salary of $3000 per year, and has about fifty clerks. The reports of the 




BANKING-HOUSE OF RIGGS & CO. 
(This building was originally occupied by the historic United States Bank.) 



2 3 8 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE. 



bureau are widely circulated, and have great value for those interested in 
the schools and colleges of the country. 

The Ordnance Museum of the War Department is contained in 
Winder's building, on Seventeenth street. This museum has lame col- 
lections of arms, relics of the various wars, and other military articles. 
The collections of relics pertaining to the Civil War are very interesting 
and valuable. The museum is open daily for public inspection. 

In the city of Washington there are two thousand Odd Fellows, with 
fourteen lodges and four encampments. The order has a fine brick 
building on Seventh street. In the upper story of the Odd Fellows' 
building are the lodge and encampment rooms, all of which are elegantly 
furnished and adorned. 

The building on the northwest corner of Pennsylvania avenue and 
Fifteenth street, now occupied by the banking-house of Riggs and Com- 
pany, was originally occupied by the historic United States Bank. This 
financial institution, in which the government was a large stockholder, 
was bitterly opposed by President Jackson, and by his orders the deposits 
of government funds in it were removed. This crippled the bank, and it 
wound up its affairs in 1837 with the loss of its entire capital. 




CHAPTER XX. 

SKETCHES OF MOUNT VERNON, THE HOME OF WASHINGTON— THE ANCIENT MANSION 
—THE TOMB OF WASHINGTON— THE MARBLE SARCOPHAGUS— WASHINGTON'S LIFE 
AT MOUNT VERNON— AN ACCOUNT OF HIS DEATH AND BURIAL— THE CONGRES- 
SIONAL FUNERAL CEREMONY— WASHINGTON'S WILL— THE VARIOUS LEGACIES— 
THE HEIRS TO MOUNT VERNON. 

IXTEEN miles below the capital city is Mount Vernon, the 
venerated home of Washington. The estate is situated in 
Fairfax county, Virginia, and borders on the western shore 
of the Potomac. Originally it comprised about six thousand 
acres and was divided into five farms, on which large crops of wheat, 
corn, and tobacco were raised. It was considered one of the finest estates 
in that part of Virginia, and in Washington's time was carefully culti- 
vated and improved. What is now known as Mount Vernon is but a few 
acres in extent, and is a part of what was originally designated as "the 
mansion-house farm." It is in the possession of the Mount Vernon 
Association, which was incorporated in 1856 expressly for the purpose 
of acquiring the estate, in order that it might be forever retained for the 
benefit of the American people. The association purchased it in i860 
for $200,000, which sum was contributed in large and small amounts by 
people in all the states. It can never go out of the possession of the 
association, and must be carefully protected and preserved. The State of 
Virginia has the supervision of it, and annually a board of state officials 
inspect it and make a report as to its condition. The utmost care is 
taken of it, and it will always remain the chief of America's historic 
treasures. 

Washington inherited Mount Vernon when he was a little over 
twenty-one years old. His half-brother, Lawrence Washington, received 
the estate at the death of his father, named it Mount Vernon in honor of 
Admiral Edward Vernon, of the British navy, erected the mansion and 
brick barn which now remain, and lived on the estate for some years. 
When he died his infant daughter was the heir, but she survived her 
father only a short time. George Washington then came into possession 

239 



240 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



of the estate, and when he had closed his service with General Braddock 
he took up his residence on it. In 1759 he married Martha Dandridge 
Custis, — " the rich widow Custis," as she was called, — and thereafter for 
over forty years Mount Vernon was his home, — the one dear spot to 
which he turned for cheer and comfort, for peaceful domestic joys, when- 
ever he was able to throw off the burdens and responsibilities of public 
life. 

Visitors to Mount Vernon are transported from the city of Washington 
by the fine steamboat W. W. Corcoran, which makes daily trips down the 
Potomac. The steamboat is commanded by Captain L. L. Blake, who has 
had a long experience in navigating the river, and who is exceedingly 
popular with the public by reason of his unfailing courtesy and careful 
attention to all who make the trip to Washington's home. As has been 
fitly said, " Mount Vernon has become, like Jerusalem and Mecca, the 
resort of people of all nations who come within its vicinity." Daily, 
winter and summer, there are many visitors to the estate, and on some 
days the number is very large. During 1884 the number of visitors 
aggregated seventeen thousand. The estate has a superintendent, and its 
lands are devoted largely to the pasturage of Ayrshire cattle. 

In the summer Mount Vernon is a mass of foliage to the river's edge. 
It has a great growth of ancient trees and luxuriant undergrowth. Like 
all the region in which it is located, it is thickly wooded, and from the 
river has an exceedingly picturesque appearance. The mansion is very 
nearly concealed by the trees surrounding it. There is only one place as 
you approach it from the north where it can be seen at all. Approaching 
it from the south nothing of it can be seen save a small part of the roof. 
From the south the river curves directly to the estate. Until you get 
within a short distance of it a high, jutting bank hides it from view. 
When the bank is passed the estate comes boldly in sight and presents a 
most beautiful appearance. It is located on an elevation, — the highest 
point on the Virginia side of the Potomac, — and from the grounds 
delightful views of river and shore can be obtained through openings in 
the groves of trees. 

The mansion in which Washington lived from early manhood till his 
death is a wooden structure ninety-six feet long and thirty feet wide, and 
has two stories and an attic. A portico of panelled columns extends 
across its whole eastern or river front. It has a peaked roof with a 
cupola. On the western front is a circular driveway leading to the public 
road, and on the sides of the driveway are lawns and gardens and small 
brick houses for servants. On the eastern front is a spacious lawn 
sloping to the river. The interior of the mansion is plainly constructed. 



242 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



Most of the rooms are rather small. The state parlor, so called, is the 
largest room, and that is not remarkable for size. The parlor has a 
beautiful mantel of variegated Sienna marble, sculptured artistically. On 
its panels are objects of agriculture and husbandry in bas-relief. There 
is a spacious hallway in the centre of the mansion. On the first floor 
there are six rooms, furnished by the Mount Vernon Association with 
antique articles. There are a few pieces of furniture in the rooms which 
belonged to Washington, but only a few. Most of his furniture was dis- 
posed of by his heirs after the death of Martha Washington. 

The second story contains a number of sleeping-rooms. The room 
in which Washington died is in this story. It is the largest of the rooms, 
and has been arranged nearly as possible as it was on the night of his 
death. It contains the mahogany bedstead, six feet square, on which he 
lay, and several other pieces of furniture he used. It has also a number 
of articles used by him during his military campaigns. Directly above 
this room, in the attic, is the room occupied by Martha Washington after 
her husband's death. 

Some three hundred yards south of the mansion is the old family 
vault, " situated on the declivity of a deep dell and surrounded by trees 
of a large growth." For many years Washington's body remained in 
this vault. In 1828 a new tomb was constructed at the foot of what was 
called " the vineyard enclosure," a short distance from the old tomb, and 
the bodies of Washington and his wife and the other members of his 
family were deposited in it. In 1837, John Struthers, a marble mason of 
Philadelphia, offered to construct a marble coffin or sarcophagus for 
Washington's remains. The offer was accepted by Washington's heirs, 
and in October of that year the coffin arrived at Mount Vernon. It was 
thought best to place the coffin in the outer enclosure of the tomb, in 
order that it might be protected from dampness, and Washington's body 
was therefore removed from the interior of the tomb, where it was sur- 
rounded by the bodies of his relatives. One who was present during the 
removal says : 

"The coffin containing the remains of Washington was in the ex- 
treme back part of the vault, and to remove the case containing the 
leaden receptacle it was found necessary to put aside the coffins that were 
piled up between it and the doorway. After clearing a passageway, the 
case, which was much decayed, was stripped off, and the lead of the lid 
was discovered to have sunk very considerably from head to foot ; so 
much so, as to form a curved line of four to five inches in its whole 
length. This settlement of the metal had perhaps caused the soldering 
of the joints to give way about the upper or widest part of the coffin. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 243 

This fractured part was turned over on the lower part of the lid, exposing 
to view a head and breast of large dimensions, which appeared by the 
dim light of the candles to have suffered but little from the effects of 
time. The eye-sockets were large and deep, and the breadth across the 
temples, together with the forehead, appeared of unusual size. There 
was no appearance of grave-clothes ; the chest was broad ; the color was 
dark, and had the appearance of dried flesh and skin adhering to the 
bones. We saw no hair, nor was there any offensive odor from the body. 
A hand was laid upon the head and instantly removed ; the lead of the 
lid was restored to its place ; the body, raised by six men, was carried 
and laid in the marble coffin, and the ponderous cover being put on and 
set in cement, it was sealed from our sight on Saturday, the 7th of Oc- 
tober, 1837." 

The tomb extends into a bank, and is constructed of brick. It has an 
interior vault over which is a stone panel inscribed, " I am the Resurrec- 
tion and Life ; he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he 
live." An enclosure of brickwork surrounds the tomb. On the front is 
an iron gate, above which, on a plain slab, are the words, " Within this 
enclosure rest the remains of General George Washington." 

The marble sarcophagus containing Washington's remains is placed 
directly in front of the opening of the tomb, and is plainly visible through 
the gate. It is eight feet in length, three feet wide, and two feet high, and 
rests on a plinth which projects several inches round the base. It was 
excavated from a solid block of Pennsylvania marble, and its lid, or 
covering stone, is of Italian marble. On the lid are sculptured in bold 
relief the arms and insignia of the United States, and lower down, upon 
the plain field of the lid, is deeply and boldly sculptured the name, 
" Washington." 

The remains of Mrs. Washington are deposited in a similar marble 
sarcophagus, which is placed a few feet from the other. Her sarcophagus 
is inscribed, "Martha, consort of Washington. Died May 21st, 1801, 
aged 71 years." 

Augustine Washington, the father of George Washington, died in 
1743, leaving a large landed estate. George was the eldest of five children 
by a second marriage. He was born February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland 
county, Virginia, where his father cultivated an extensive plantation. He 
inherited the lands his father possessed in Westmoreland county, and the 
"Hunting creek estate," afterwards renamed Mount Vernon, was inherited 
by Lawrence Washington, the eldest soji by a first marriage. In his 
youth George Washington was engaged for several years in surveying 
the western lands of Lord Fairfax, and afterwards perform©^ military duty 



244 



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under General 
Braddock. On 
January 7, 1759, 
he was married 
to Martha Dan- 
dridge Custis, the 
widow of Daniel 
Parke Custis, and 
daughter of John 
Dandridge, of Vir- 
ginia. Mrs. Custis 
was three months 




WEST FRONT MOUNT VERNON MANSION. 



TOMB OF WASHINGTON. 

older than Colonel 
Washington, and was 
" distinguished alike 
for her beauty, ac- 
complishments, and 
wealth." She had 
two children, a son 
of six years and a 
daughter of f o u r. 
After their marriage 
Washington and his 
wife lived for three 
months near Williamsburg, Virginia, in order that he might attend the 
session of the state legislature, of which he was a member. At the close 
of the session they took up their residence at Mount Vernon. 

For sixteen years Washington cultivated his great farm and lived the 
usual life of a Virginia planter. He raised large quantities of tobacco, 
which he shipped to London direct from his own wharf at Mount Vernon. 
He had no ambition for public life after his term of service in the Virginia 
legislature had expired, and was content with the pursuit of agriculture 
and the social pleasures of a country gentleman. He had some of the 
\st society in Virginia, — "the polite, wealthy, and fashionable," — was a 
"use and liberal host, was fond of fox hunting, fishing, fowling, and 
athletic sports, and was happy in his home and domestic relations, His 
wife was thoroughly domestic in her tastes and habits, and a careful 






THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



245 



housekeeper. She prided herself on her knitting and spinning, and 
wove many of her own dresses, and even some of her husband's clothes. 
The suit Washington wore when he was inaugurated as President was 
woven at Mount Vernon. In his early manhood Washington appeared 
as " a very proper young fellow, six feet tall, rather stately in carriage, 
and exceedingly fond of dancing and gay society." 

In 1775 he became a member of the Continental Congress, and in 
June of that year the Congress appointed him as Commander-in-Chief of 
the Continental Army. All through the Revolutionary War, a period 
of more than eight years, he was compelled to be absent from Mount 
Vernon. Mrs. Washington was with him during several of the cam- 
paigns. In a letter written in 181 1 by a gentleman of South Carolina, 
who was the captain of a company serving in the Revolution, is the 
following personal description of Washington as he appeared during the 
War : 

" In the first place, you should know that Washington was not what 
the ladies call a pretty man. It seems that fate has destined handsome 
men for other purposes than heroic endeavor. But in military costume he 
was a splendid figure, such as would impress the memory ever afterwards. 
The first time I was ever brought in contact with the great hero was three 
days before the crossing of the Delaware. It was under the most un- 
favorable circumstances, as the weather was bitterly cold, and a fierce wind 
was blowing. Washington had a large, thick nose, and it was very red 
that day, giving me the impression that he was not so moderate in his use 
of liquors as he was supposed to be. I found afterwards that this was a 
peculiarity. His nose was apt to turn scarlet in a cold wind. He was 
standing near a small camp fire, evidently lost in thought, and making no 
effort to keep warm. He seemed six feet and a half in height, and was as 
erect as an Indian, and did not for a moment relax from a military attitude. 
Washington's exact height was six feet two inches in his boots. He was 
then a little lame from striking his knee against a tree. His eye was so 
gray that it looked almost white, and he had a troubled look on his color- 
less face. He had a piece of woolen tied around his throat, and was quite 
hoarse. Perhaps the throat trouble from which he died had its origin 
about that time. Washington's boots were enormous. They were No. 13. 
His ordinary walking shoes were No. n. His hands were large in pro- 
portion, and he could not buy a glove to fit him, and had to have his gloves 
made to orddr. His mouth was his strong feature, the lips being always 
tightly compressed. That day they were compressed so tightly as to be 
painful to look at. At that time he weighed two hundred pounds, and 
there was no surplus flesh about him. He was tremendously muscled, 



246 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

and the fame of his great strength was everywhere. His huge tent when 
wrapped up with the poles was so heavy that it required two men to place 
it in the camp wagon. Washington could lift it with one hand and throw 
it in the wagon as easily as if it were a pair of saddle-bags. He could 
hold a musket with one hand and shoot with precision as easily as other 
men did with a horse-pistol. His lungs were his weak point, and there he 
was never strong. He was at that time in the prime of life. His hair was 
a chestnut brown, his cheeks were prominent and his head was not large, 
in contrast to every other part of his body, which seemed large and bony 
at all points. His finger joints and wrists were so large as to be genuine 
curiosities." 

Washington resigned his commission as commander of the army at 
Annapolis, December 23, 1783, and immediately went to Mount Vernon. 
Congress had offered him $500 per month as compensation for his services 
during the war, but he declined to accept any compensation. He had been 
the saviour of his country, and he retired to private life crowned with 
laurels. 

He immediately began to repair his fortune, which had been somewhat 
diminished by the war. He began a precise system of cultivation of his 
farm, and in various ways sought to improve his resources. He extended 
his mansion, built new cabins for his negroes, and labored earnestly at the 
occupations of his early years. At this time he wrote to General Lafayette, 
" I am become a private citizen on the banks of the Potomac, and, under 
the shadow of my own vine and fig-tree, I am solacing myself with tran- 
quil enjoyments." To General Knox he wrote, " I feel now as I conceive 
a wearied traveller must do, who, after treading many a painful step with a 
heavy burden on his shoulders, is eased of the latter, having reached the 
haven to which all the former were directed." 

Mount Vernon was open to all who came. He had many visitors — 
soldiers of the war, distinguished foreigners, artists, statesmen, men and 
women of the highest social rank. He entertained Lafayette, for whom 
he had a warm friendship ; he gave balls and receptions, and was disposed 
to take some pleasure and recreation after the toilsome military work he 
had performed. For over five years he remained at Mount Vernon, busy 
with the care of his estate; but in 1789 he was elected as the first Presi- 
dent of the United States, and on April 16 of that year he left his home 
for New York to assume the great office. He wrote in his diary the day 
he left home, " About ten o'clock I bade adieu to Mount Vernon, to 
private life, and to domestic felicity ; and, with a mind oppressed with 
more anxious and painful sensations than I have words to express, set 
out for New York with the best disposition to render service to my 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



247 



country in obedience to its call, but with less hope of answering its 
expectations." 

For eight years he was President, retiring from the office on the 4th 
of March, 1797. From this time until his death Washington never left 
Mount Vernon for a single night. During the short time that was left him 
on earth he confined himself to " putting his house in order," being seem- 
ingly aware that, as he came of a short-lived family, he had not long to 
live. His hair was gray, his form was slightly bent, and his chest was 

thin. He had lost the 
greater part of his old- 
time vigor, and was slower 
in his movements, less in- 
clined to undertake new 
tasks, and disposed to 
shun the gay society he 
had formerly enjoyed. 
He superintended his 
farming operations, and 



WASHINGTON'S BED- 
CHAMBER. 



on every pleas- 
ant day rode 
over his lands. 
He was a rather 
reserved man, 
speaking but 
little, and never 
of himself. His 
adopted daugh- 
ter has said, 
"I never heard 
him relate a 
single act of 

his life. I have sometimes made him laugh 
heartily from sympathy with my joyous and 
extravagant spirits." At night he liked to 
be surrounded by his family, — his wife and 





"; j :'.K4KOSEJTC3^3rc«»'ei 



\ \ ' 

PARLOR IN MOUNT VERNON 
MANSION. 



248 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



adopted children, and his nieces and nephews, who frequently visited him, 
— and would seem to greatly enjoy their conversation and frolics. In the 
summer of 1799 he made his will, writing the lengthy document with his 
own hand and without consulting a lawyer. A little over six months 
from the time the will was finished he died of acute laryngitis in his 
sixty-eighth year. 

Immediately after the death of Washington a complete account of it 
was written by Tobias Lear, who was his private secretary and intimate 
companion for many years. This account, which was the only one 
written, has been preserved, and, as it has been garbled and distorted in 
the biographies of Washington, it is herewith presented as a matter of 
historical reference precisely as it originally appeared. Mr. Lear dates 
his account " Mount Vernon, Saturday, December 14th, 1799," and says: 
" This day has been marked by an event which will be memorable in 
the history of America, and, perhaps, of the world. I shall give a par- 
ticular statement of it, to which I was an eye-witness. 

"On Thursday, December 12th, the General rode out to his farms 
about ten o'clock, and did not return home till past three. Soon after 
he went out the weather became very bad, rain, hail, snow falling alter- 
nately, with a cold wind. When he came in I carried some letters to 
him to frank, intending to send them to the post-office in the evening. 
He franked the letters, but said the weather was too bad to send a servant 
to the office that evening. I observed to him that I was afraid he had 
got wet. He said no; his great-coat had kept him dry. But his neck 
appeared to be wet, and the snow was hanging upon his hair. He came 
to dinner (which had been waiting for him) without changing his dress. 
In the evening he appeared as well as usual. 

"A heavy fall of snow took place on Friday, which prevented the 
General from riding out as usual. He had taken cold, undoubtedly, from 
being so much exposed the day before, and complained of a sore throat. 
He, however, went out in the afternoon into the ground between the 
house and the river to mark some trees which were to be cut down in the 
improvement of that spot. He had a hoarseness, which increased in the 
evening, but he made light of it. 

" In the evening the papers were brought from the post-office, and he 
sat in the parlor with Mrs. Washington and myself reading them till 
about nine o'clock, when Mrs. Washington went up into Mrs. Lewis's 
room, who was confined, and left the General and myself reading the 
papers. He was very cheerful, and when he met with anything interesting 
or entertaining he read it aloud, as well as his hoarseness would permit. 
He requested me to read to him the debates of the Virginia Assembly on 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



249 



the election of a Senator and Governor, and, on hearing of Mr. Madison's 
observations respecting Mr. Monroe, he appeared much affected, and 
spoke with some degree of asperity on the subject, which I endeavored 
to moderate, as I always did on such occasions. On his retiring I 
observed to him that he had better take something to remove his cold. 
He answered, ' No ; you know I never take anything for a cold. Let it 
go as it came.' 

" Between two and three o'clock on Saturday morning he awoke Mrs. 
Washington, and told her that he was very unwell, and had had an ague. 
She observed that he could scarcely speak, and breathed with difficulty, 
and would have got up to call a servant, but he would not permit her, 
lest she should take a cold. As soon as the day appeared the woman 
(Caroline) went into the room to make a fire, and Mrs. Washington sent 
her immediately to call me. I got up, put on my clothes as quickly as 
possible, and went to his chamber. Mrs. Washington was then up, and 
related to me his being ill, as before stated. I found the General breathing 
with difficulty, and hardly able to utter a word intelligibly. He desired 
Mr. Rawlins (one of the overseers) might be sent for to bleed him before 
the doctor could arrive. I despatched a servant immediately for Rawlins, 
and another for Dr. Craik, and returned again to the General's chamber, 
where I found him in the same situation as I had left him. 

" A mixture of molasses, vinegar, and butter was prepared to try its 
effects in the throat, but he could not swallow a drop. Whenever he 
attempted it he appeared to be distressed, convulsed, and almost suffo- 
cated. Rawlins came in soon after sunrise, and prepared to bleed him. 
When the arm was ready the General, observing that Rawlins appeared 
to be agitated, said, as well as he could speak, ' Don't be afraid.' And 
when the incision was made he observed, ' The orifice is not large 
enough.' However, the blood ran pretty freely. Mrs. Washington, not 
knowing whether bleeding was proper or not in the General's situation, 
begged that much might not be taken from him, lest it should be in- 
jurious, and desired me to stop it; but when I was about to untie the 
string the General put up his hand to prevent it, and, as soon as he could 
speak, he said, ' More, more.' Mrs. Washington being still very uneasy 
lest too much blood should be taken, it was stopped after taking about 
half a pint. Finding that no relief was obtained from bleeding, and that 
nothing would go down the throat, I proposed bathing it externally with 
sal volatile, which was done ; and in the operation, which was with the 
hand, and in the gentlest manner, he observed, ' It is very sore.' A piece 
of flannel dipped in sal volatile was put around his neck, and his feet 
bathed in warm water, but without affording any relief. 



250 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




THE MOUNT VERNON STEAMBOAT. 



" In the mean time, before Dr. Craik arrived, Mrs. Washington desired 
me to send for Dr. Brown, of Port Tobacco, whom Dr. Craik had recom- 
mended to be called, if any case should ever occur that was seriously- 
alarming. I despatched a messenger for Dr. Brown between eight and 
nine o'clock. Dr. Craik came in soon after, and, upon examining the 
General, he put a blister of cantharides on the throat, took some more 
blood from him, and had a gargle of vinegar and sage tea prepared; and 
ordered some vinegar and hot water for him to inhale the steam of it, 
which he did; but in attempting to use the gargle he was almost suffo- 
cated. When the gargle came from the throat some phlegm followed, 
and he attempted to cough, which the doctor encouraged him to do as 
much as possible; but he could only attempt it. About eleven o'clock 
Dr. Craik requested that Dr. Dick might be sent for, as he feared Dr. 
Brown would not come in time. A messenger was accordingly despatched 
for him. About this time the General was bled again. No effect, how- 
ever, was produced by it, and he remained in the same state, unable to 
swallow anything. 

" Dr. Dick came about three o'clock, and Dr. Brown arrived soon 
after. Upon Dr. Dick's seeing the General, and consulting a few minutes 
with Dr. Craik, he was bled again. The blood came very slow, was 
thick, and did not produce any symptoms of fainting. Dr. Brown came 
into the chamber soon after, and, upon feeling the General's pulse, the 
physicians went out together. Dr. Craik returned soon after. The 
General could now swallow a little. Calomel and tartar emetic were 
administered, but without any effect. 

" About four o'clock he desired me to call Mrs. Washington to his 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 25 1 

bedside, when he requested her to go down into his room and take from 
his desk two wills which she would find there and bring them to him, 
which she did. Upon looking at them, he gave her one, which he 
observed was useless, as being superseded by the other, and desired her 
to burn it, which she did, and took the other and put it into her closet." 

" After this was done I returned to his bedside and took his hand. 
He said to me, ' I find I am going. My breath cannot last long. I 
believed from the first that the disorder would prove fatal. Do you 
arrange and record all my late military letters and papers. Arrange my 
accounts and settle my books, as you know more about them than any 
one else, and let Mr. Rawlins finish recording my other letters which he 
has begun.' I told him this should be done. He then asked if I recol- 
lected anything which it was essential for him to do, as he had but a 
very short time to continue with us. I told him that I could recollect 
nothing, but that I hoped he was not so near his end. He observed, 
smiling, that he certainly was, and that, as it was the debt which we must 
all pay, he looked to the event with perfect resignation. 

" In the course of the afternoon he appeared to be in great pain and 
distress from the difficulty of breathing, and frequently changed his pos- 
ture in the bed. On these occasions I lay upon the bed and endeavored 
to raise him, and turn him with as much ease as possible. He appeared 
penetrated with gratitude for my attentions, and often said, ' I am afraid 
I shall fatigue you too much ;' and upon my assuring him that I could 
feel nothing but a wish to give him ease, he replied, ' Well, it is a debt we 
must pay to each other, and I hope when you want help of this kind 
you will find it.' 

" He asked when Mr. Lewis and Washington Custis would return 
(they were then in New Kent). I told him about the 20th of the 
month. 

" About five o'clock Dr. Craik came again into the room, and, upon 
going to the bedside, the General said to him, ' Doctor, I die hard, but I 
am not afraid to go. I believed from my first attack that I should not 
survive it. My breath cannot last long.' The doctor pressed his hand, 
but could not utter a word. He retired from the bedside, and sat by the 
fire absorbed in grief. 

"Between five and six o'clock Dr. Dick and Dr. Brown came into the 
room, and with Dr. Craik went to the bed, when Dr. Craik asked him if 
he could sit up in the bed. He held out his hand, and I raised him up. 
He then said to the physicians, ' I feel myself going ; I thank you for 
your attentions, but I pray you take no more trouble about me. Let me 
go off quietly. I cannot last long.' They found that all which had been 



2 C2 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

done was without effect. He lay down again, and all retired except Dr. 
Craik. He continued in the same situation, — uneasy and restless, — but 
without complaining, frequently asking what hour it was. When I helped 
him to move at this time he did not speak, but looked at me with strong 
expressions of gratitude. 

" About eight o'clock the physicians came again into the room and 
applied blisters and cataplasms of wheat bran to his legs and feet, after 
which they went out, except Dr. Craik, without a ray of hope. I went 
out about this time and wrote a line to Mr. Law and Mr. Peter, requesting 
them to come with their wives (Mrs. Washington's granddaughters) as 
soon as possible to Mount Vernon. 

" About ten o'clock he made several attempts to speak to me before 
he could effect it. At length he said, ' I am just going. Have me 
decently buried, and do not let my body be put into the vault in less than 
three days after I am dead.' I bowed assent, for I could not speak. He 
then looked at me again and said, ' Do you understand me ?' I replied, 
' Yes.' ' Tis well,' said he. 

" About ten minutes before he expired (which was between ten and 
eleven o'clock) his breathing became easier. He lay quietly; he with- 
drew his hand from mine and felt his own pulse. I saw his countenance 
change. I spoke to Dr. Craik, who sat by the fire. He came to the bed- 
side. The General's hand fell from his wrist. I took it in mine and 
pressed it to my bosom. Dr. Craik put his hands over his eyes, and he 
expired without a struggle or a sigh. 

" While we were fixed in silent grief, Mrs. Washington, who was 
sitting at the foot of the bed, asked with a firm and collected voice, ' Is he 
gone?' I could not speak, but held up my hand as a signal that he was 
no more. "Tis well,' said she in the same voice; 'all is now over; I 
shall soon follow him; I have no more trials to pass through.' 

"At the time of his decease Dr. Craik and myself were in the situa- 
tion above mentioned. Mrs. Washington was sitting near the foot of the 
bed. Christopher was standing near the bedside. Caroline, Molly, and 
Charlotte were in the room, standing near the door. 

" As soon as Dr. Craik could speak after the distressing scene was 
closed, he desired one of the servants to ask the gentlemen below to come 
up-stairs. When they came to the bedside I kissed the cold hand which 
I had held to my bosom, laid it down, and went to the other end of the 
room, where I was for some time lost in profound grief, until aroused by 
Christopher desiring me to take care of the General's keys, and other 
things, which were taken out of his pockets, and which Mrs. Washington 
directed him to give to me. I wrapped them in the General's handker- 



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253 




CAPT. L. L. BLAKE. OF STEAMBOAT W. W. CORCORAN. 



chief, and took them to my room. About twelve o'clock the corpse was 
brought down-stairs and laid out in the large room. 

" During his whole illness he spoke but seldom, and with great diffi- 
culty and distress, and in so low and broken a voice as at times hardly 
to be understood. His patience, fortitude, and resignation never forsook 
him for a moment. In all his distress he uttered not a sigh nor a com- 
plaint, always endeavoring, from a sense of duty as it appeared, to take 
what was offered him, and to do as he was desired by the physicians." 

On Sunday, December 15th, Mr. Lear, by request of Mrs. Washing- 
ton, sent to Alexandria to have a mahogany coffin made. On the follow- 
ing day he had the old family vault opened, the " rubbish about it" cleared 
away, and a new door to it made. Mourning was ordered for the family, 
domestics, and overseers. On Tuesday he says, " The coffin was brought 
from Alexandria. Mr. Grater accompanied it with a shroud. . The body 
was laid in the coffin. The mahogany coffin was lined with lead, soldered 
at the joints, with a cover of lead to be soldered on after the body should 
be in the vault. The coffin was put in a case, lined and covered with 
black cloth." 

Mr. Lear gives the following account of the funeral ceremony, which 
took place at Mount Vernon on Wednesday, December 18th : 

" About eleven o'clock numbers of people began to assemble to attend 
the funeral, which was intended to have been at twelve o'clock; but as a 
great part of the troops expected could not get down in time, it did not 
take place till three. Eleven pieces of artillery were brought from Alex- 
andria, and a schooner, belonging to Mr. Robert Hamilton, came down 



2 ca THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

and lay off Mount Vernon to fire minute-guns while the body was I 
carried to the grave. About three o'clock the procession began to n 
The pall-bearers were Colonels Little, Simms, Payne, Gilpin, Ramse 
Marsteler. Colonel Blackburn preceded the corpse. The proc< 
moved out through the gate at the left wing of the house, and proceeded 
round in front of the lawn and down to the vault on the right wii 
the house. The procession was as follows : 
" The Troops, horse and foot. 

"The Clergy, namely, — The Reverend Messrs. Davis, Muir, Moffatt, 
and Addison. 

" The General's horse, with his saddle, holsters, and pistols, led by two 
grooms, Cyrus and Wilson, in black. 

" The Body, borne by the Freemasons and Officers. 

" Principal Mourners, namely, — 

" Mrs. Stuart and Mrs. Law. 

" Misses Nancy and Sally Stuart. 

" Miss Fairfax and Miss Dennison. 

" Mr. Law and Mr. Peter. 

" Mr. Lear and Dr. Craik. 

" Lord Fairfax and Fernando Fairfax. 

" Lodge No. 22. 

" Corporation of Alexandria. 
" All other persons, preceded by Mr. Anderson and the Overseers. 
" When the body arrived at the vault the Rev. Mr. Davis read the 
service, and pronounced a short address. The Masons performed their 
ceremonies, and the body was deposited in the vault." 

The Alexandria Times and Advertiser of Friday, December 20, 1799, 
thus announced Washington's death and funeral : 

" The effect of the sudden news of his death upon the inhabitants of 
Alexandria can better be conceived than expressed. At first a general 
disorder, wildness, and consternation pervaded the town. The tale ap- 
peared as an illusory dream, as the raving of a sickly imagination. But 
these impressions soon gave place to sensations of the most poignant 
sorrow and extreme regret. On Monday and Wednesday the stores 
were all closed and all business suspended, as if each family had lost its 
father. From the time of his death to the time of his interment the bells 
continued to toll, the shipping in the harbor wore their colors half-mast 
high, and every public expression of grief was observed. On Wednesday 
the inhabitants of the town, of the county, and the adjacent parts of 
Maryland proceeded to Mount Vernon to perform the last offices to the 
body of their illustrious neighbor. All the military within a considerable 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



255 



distance and three Masonic lodges were present. The concourse of 
people was immense. Till the time of interment the corpse was placed 
on the portico fronting the river, that every citizen might have an oppor- 
tunity of taking a lasting farewell of the departed benefactor." 

At the time of Washington's death Congress was in session at Phila- 
delphia. When the news was received both houses immediately ad- 
journed. It is stated that "the next morning, as soon as the House of 
Representatives had convened, Mr. Marshall, afterwards Chief Justice, 
rose in his place and addressed the Speaker in an eloquent and pathetic 
speech, briefly recounting the public acts of Washington. He then of- 
fered three resolutions, previously prepared by General Henry Lee, which 
were accepted. By these it was proposed that the House should in a 
body wait on the President to express their condolence ; that the 
Speaker's chair should be shrouded in black, and the members and of- 
ficers of the House be dressed in black during the session ; and that a 
committee in conjunction with a committee from the Senate should be 




HON. ROBERT C. WINTHROP, ORATOR OF THE 
WASHINGTON MONUMENT. 



256 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



appointed to consider the most suitable manner of paying honor to the 
memory of Washington. The Senate had similar proceedings. A joint 
committee of the two houses was appointed, who reported resolutions 
recommending that a marble monument should be erected to commemo- 
rate the great events in the military and political life of Washington ; 
that an oration suited to the occasion should be pronounced in the 
presence of both houses of Congress ; that the people of the United 
States should wear crape on the left arm thirty days as a badge of mourn- 
ing; and that the President, in the name of Congress, should be requested 
to write a letter of condolence to Mrs. Washington. These resolutions 
were unanimously adopted. The funeral ceremonies were appropriate 
and solemn. A procession consisting of the members of the two houses, 
public officers, and a large assemblage of citizens moved from the hall of 
Congress to the German Lutheran Church, where a discourse was de- 
livered by General Henry Lee, then a Representative in Congress." The 
funeral ceremonies took place December 26, 1799. 

In General Lee's oration were these words : " First in war, first in 
peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none 
in the humble and endearing scenes of private life ; uniform, dignified, and 
commanding, his example was as edifying to all around him as were the 
effects of that example lasting. To his equals he was condescending; 
to his inferiors, kind; and to the dear object of his affections, exemplarily 
tender; correct throughout, vice shuddered in his presence, and virtue 
always felt his fostering hand ; the purity of his private character gave 
effulgence to his public virtues. His last scene comported with the whole 
tenor of his life. Although in extreme pain, not a sigh, not a groan 
escaped him; and with undisturbed serenity he closed his well-spent life. 
Such was the man America has lost; such was the man for whom our 
nation mourns." 

Washington left property valued, according to his own estimate, at 
$530,000. Besides his Mount Vernon estate, he had 13,000 acres of land 
in other parts of Virginia, over 1000 acres in Maryland, about 1200 in 
New York and Pennsylvania, and great tracts, amounting to over 8000 
acres, in Kentucky and what was then called the " northwest territory" 
on the Little Miami river. He had lots in the cities of Washington, 
Alexandria, and Winchester. He possessed $25,000 worth of shares in 
the Bank of Columbia and Bank of Alexandria in Alexandria, and the 
Potomac Company and James River Company. His live stock at Mount 
Vernon was valued at $35,000. No estimate was made of his slaves, as 
he proposed to free them. His will is herewith given. It begins as 
follows : 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



257 



" In the name of God, Amen. I, George Washington, of Mount 
Vernon, a citizen of the United States, and lately President of the same, 
do make, ordain, and declare this instrument, which is written with my 
own hand, and every page subscribed with my name, to be my last Will 
and Testament, revoking all others. 

" Imprimis. — All my debts, of which there are but few, and none of 
magnitude, are to be punctually and speedily paid, and the legacies, here- 
inafter bequeathed, are to be discharged as soon as circumstances will 
permit, and in the manner directed. 

" Item. — To my dearly beloved wife, Martha Washington, I give and 
bequeath the use, profit, and benefit of my whole estate, real and personal, 
for the term of her natural life, except such parts thereof as are specially 
disposed of hereafter. My improved lot in the town of Alexandria, 
situated on P and Cameron streets, I give to her and her heirs forever ; 
as I also do my household and kitchen furniture of every sort and kind, 
with the liquors and groceries which may be on hand at the time of my 
decease, to be used and disposed of as she may think proper. 

" Item. — Upon the decease of my wife, it is my will and desire that all 
the slaves whom I hold in my own right shall receive their freedom. To 
emancipate them during her life would, though earnestly wished by me, 
be attended with such insuperable difficulties, on account of their inter- 
mixture by marriage with the dower negroes, as to excite the most painful 
sensations, if not disagreeable consequences to the latter, while both de- 
scriptions are in the occupancy of the same proprietor; it not being in 
my power, under the tenure by which the dower negroes are held, to 
manumit them. And whereas, among those who will receive freedom 
according to this devise, there may be some who, from old age or bodily 
infirmities, and others who, on account of their infancy, will be unable to 
support themselves, it is my will and desire that all who come under the 
first and second description shall be comfortably clothed and fed by my 
heirs while they live ; and that such of the latter description as have no 
parents living, or, if living, are unable or unwilling to provide for them, 
shall be bound by the court until they shall arrive at the age of twenty- 
five years ; and, in cases where no record can be produced whereby their 
ages can be ascertained, the judgment of the court, upon its own views 
of the subject, shall be adequate and final. The negroes thus bound are 
(by their masters or mistresses) to be taught to read and write, and to be 
brought up to some useful occupation, agreeably to the laws of the Com- 
monwealth of Virginia, providing for the support of orphan or other poor 
children. And I do hereby expressly forbid the sale or transportation, 
out of the said Commonwealth, of any slave I may die possessed of, 

17 



258 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. 



under any pretence whatsoever. And I do, moreover, most pointedly and 
most solemnly enjoin it upon my executors hereafter named, or the sur- 
vivors of them, to see that this clause respecting slaves, and every part 
thereof, be religiously fulfilled at the epoch at which it is directed to take 
place, without evasion, neglect, or delay, after the crops which may then 
be in the ground are harvested, particularly as it respects the aged and 
infirm ; seeing that a regular and permanent fund be established for their 
support, as long as there are subjects requiring it, not trusting to the 
uncertain provision to be made by individuals. And to my mulatto man, 
William, calling himself William Lee, I give immediate freedom, or, if he 
should prefer it (on account of the accidents which have befallen him, and 
which have rendered him incapable of walking, or of any active employ- 
ment), to remain in the situation he now is, it shall be optional in him to 
do so ; in either case, however, I allow him an annuity of thirty dollars 
during his natural life, which shall be independent of the victuals and 
clothes he has been accustomed to receive, if he chooses the last alter-1 
native ; but in full with his freedom, if he prefers the first ; and this I give 
him, as a testimony of my sense of his attachment to me, and for his 
faithful services during the Revolutionary war. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



259 



" Item. — To the trustees (governors, or by whatsoever other name they 
may be designated) of the Academy in the town of Alexandria, I give 
and bequeath, in trust, four thousand dollars, or in other words, twenty of 
the shares which I hold in the Bank of Alexandria, towards the support 
of a free school, established at and annexed to the said Academy, for the 
purpose of educating such orphan children, or the children of such other 
poor and indigent persons as are unable to accomplish it with their own 
means, and who, in the judgment of the trustees of said seminary, are 
best entitled to the benefit of this donation. The aforesaid twenty shares 
I give and bequeath in perpetuity ; the dividends only of which are to be 
drawn for and applied, by the said trustees for the time being, for the uses 
above mentioned ; the stock to remain entire and untouched, unless indi- 
cations of failure of the said bank should be so apparent, or a discontin- 
uance thereof should render a removal of the fund necessary. In either 
of these cases, the amount of stock here devised is to be vested in some 
other bank or public institution, whereby the interest may with regularity 
and certainty be drawn and applied as above. And to prevent miscon- 
ception, my meaning is, and is hereby declared to be, that these twenty 
shares are in lieu of, and not in addition to, the thousand pounds given 
by a missive letter some years ago, in consequence whereof an annuity 
of fifty pounds has since been paid towards the support of this institution. 

" Item. — Whereas by a law of the Commonwealth of Virginia, enacted 
in 1785, the Legislature thereof was pleased, as an evidence of its appro- 
bation of the services I had rendered the public during the Revolution, 
and partly, I believe, in consideration of my having suggested the vast 
advantages which the community would derive from the extension of its 
inland navigation under legislative patronage, to present me with one 
hundred shares, of one hundred dollars each, in the incorporated Com- 
pany established for the purpose of extending the navigation of James 
River from the tide water to the mountains ; and also with fifty shares, of 
;£ioo sterling each, in the corporation of another Company, likewise 
established for the similar purpose of opening the navigation of the 
River Potomac from tide water to Fort Cumberland ; the acceptance of 
which, although the offer was highly honorable and grateful to my feel- 
ings, was refused, as inconsistent with the principle which I had adopted, 
and had never departed from, viz., not to receive pecuniary compensation 
for any services I could render my country in its arduous struggle with 
Great Britain for its rights, and because I had evaded similar presents 
from other States in the Union ; adding to this refusal, however, an inti- 
mation that, if it should be the pleasure of the legislature to permit me 
to appropriate the said shares to public uses, I would receive them on 



260 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



those terms with due sensibility; and this it having consented to, in 
flattering terms, as will appear by a subsequent law, and sundry resolu- 
tions, in the most ample and honorable manner : — I proceed after this 
recital, for the more correct understanding of the case, to declare that, as 
it has always been a source of serious regret with me to see the youth 
of these United States sent to foreign countries for the purpose of educa- 
tion, often before their minds were formed, or they had imbibed any 
adequate ideas of the happiness of their own ; contracting too frequently 
not only habits of dissipation and extravagance, but principles unfriendly 
to republican government, and to the true and genuine liberties of man- 
kind, which thereafter are rarely overcome ; for these reasons it has been 
my ardent wish to see a plan devised, on a liberal scale, which would 
have a tendency to spread systematic ideas through all parts of this rising 
empire, thereby to do away with local attachments and State prejudices, 
as far as the nature of things would, or indeed ought to admit, from our 
national councils. Looking anxiously forward to the accomplishment of 
so desirable an object as this is (in my estimation), my mind has not 
been able to contemplate any plan more likely to effect the measure than 
the establishment of a University in a central part of the United States, 
to which the youths of fortune and talents from all parts thereof may be 




FRANKLIN SCHOOL. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 2 6l 

sent for the completion of their education in all the branches of polite 
literature, in arts and sciences, in acquiring knowledge in the principles 
of politics and good government, and, as a matter of infinite importance 
in my judgment, by associating with each other, and forming friendships 
in juvenile years, be enabled to free themselves in a proper degree from 
those local prejudices and habitual jealousies which have just been men- 
tioned, and which, when carried to excess, are never-failing sources of 
disquietude to the public mind, and pregnant of mischievous consequences 
to this country. Under these impressions, so fully dilated, I give and 
bequeath, in perpetuity, the fifty shares which I hold in the Potomac 
Company (under the aforesaid acts of the Legislature of Virginia) towards 
the endowment of a University, to be established within the limits of the 
District of Columbia, under the auspices of the general government, if 
that government should incline to extend a fostering hand towards it; 
and until such seminary is established, and the funds arising on these 
shares shall be required for its support, my further will and desire is, that 
the profit accruing therefrom shall, whenever the dividends are made, be 
laid out in purchasing stock in the Bank of Columbia, or some other 
bank, at the discretion of my executors, or by the Treasurer of the United 
States for the time being, under the direction of Congress, provided that 
honorable body should patronize the measure; and the dividends pro- 
ceeding from the purchase of such stock are to be vested in more stock, 
and so on until a sum adequate to the accomplishment of the object is 
obtained ; of which I have not the smallest doubt before many years pass 
away, even if no aid or encouragement is given by the legislative authority, 
or from any other source. 

" Item. — The hundred shares which I hold in the James River Company 
I have given, and now confirm in perpetuity, to and for the use and benefit 
of Liberty Hall Academy, in the County of Rockbridge, in the Common- 
wealth of Virginia." 

Jared Sparks says in his life of Washington : " The donation to Wash- 
ington College (formerly known as Liberty Hall Academy) has been pro- 
ductive, and the proceeds arising from it have contributed essential aid to 
that institution. No part of the other fund has been employed for literary 
purposes. The Potomac Company seems to have been merged in the 
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company. The shares appropriated by 
Washington's will are doubtless held in trust by the latter company for 
their destined object." 

The will directs that the estate of his deceased brother, Samuel 
Washington, shall be released from the payment of money due for land, 
and also that the balance due from the estate of Bartholomew Dandridge 



262 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

shall be released. Sundry legacies were given to the nieces and nephews 
of Washington. His papers and library were given to his nephew, Judge 
Bushrod Washington, the son of his brother, John Augustine Washington. 
Legacies were given to friends, such as " To my companion in arms and 
old and intimate friend, Dr. Craik, I give my bureau (or as the cabinet- 
makers call it, my tambour secretary) and the circular chair, an appendage 
of my study." " To General de Lafayette, I give a pair of finely-wrought 
steel pistols, taken from the enemy in the Revolutionary war." " To 
Tobias Lear, I give the use of the farm which he now holds in virtue of a 
lease from me, free of rent during his life." He gave each of his five 
nephews a sword, with the injunction "not to unsheath them for the pur- 
pose of shedding blood, except it be in self-defence, or in defence of their 
country and its rights ; and in the latter case to keep them unsheathed, 
and prefer falling with them in their hands to the relinquishment thereof." 

To his nephew, Bushrod Washington, and his heirs, he gave a certain 
part of the Mount Vernon estate, with the mansion and other buildings, as, 
he says, " partly in consideration of an intimation to his deceased father 
while we were bachelors, and he had kindly undertaken to superintend my 
estate during my military services in the former war between Great Britain 
and France, that, if I should fall therein, Mount Vernon, then less exten- 
sive in domain than at present, should become his property." His estate 
of 2027 acres east of Little Hunting creek he gave to his nephews, George 
Fayette Washington and Lawrence Augustine Washington. 

The will continues : " And whereas it has always been my intention, 
since my expectation of having issue has ceased, to consider the grand- 
children of my wife in the same light as I do my own relation, and to act 
a friendly part by them ; more especially by the two whom we have raised 
from their earliest infancy, namely, Eleanor Parke Custis and George Wash- 
ington Parke Custis ; and whereas the former of these hath lately inter- 
married with Lawrence Lezvis, a son of my deceased sister, Betty Lewis, by 
which union the inducement to provide for them both has been increased ; 
wherefore I give and bequeath to the said Lawrence Lezvis and Eleanor 
Parke Lewis, his wife, and their heirs, the residue of my Mount Vernon 
estate not already devised to my nephew, Bushrod Washington." This 
portion consisted of about two thousand acres, and embraced his flour- 
mill, distillery, and other buildings. 

The will continues : " Actuated by the principle already mentioned, I 
give and bequeath to George Washington Parke Custis, the grandson of my 
wife, and my ward, and to his heirs, the tract I hold on Four Mile Run, 
in the vicinity of Alexandria, containing one thousand two hundred acres, 
more or less, and my entire square, No. 21, in the city of Washington." 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL, 



263 




WASHINGTON NAVY YARD. 



The remainder of his estate, real and 
personal, was to be divided into twenty- 
three equal parts, and disposed of to his 
nephews and nieces according to a division 
he describes in detail, — that is, so many- 
parts to each. 
The will concludes as follows: " The family vault at Mount Vernon 
requiring repairs, and being improperly situated besides, I desire that a 
new one of brick, and upon a larger scale, may be built at the foot of what 
is commonly called the Vineyard Enclosure, on the ground which is 
marked out ; in which my remains, with those of my deceased relations 
(now in the old vault), and such others of my family as may choose to be 
entombed there, may be deposited. And it is my express desire that my 
corpse may be interred in a private manner, without parade or funeral 
oration. 

" Lastly, I constitute and appoint my dearly-beloved wife, Martha 
Washington, my nephews, William Augustine Washington, Bushrod Wash- 
ington, George Steptoe Washington, Samuel Washington, and Lawrence 
Lewis, and my ward, George Washington Parke Custis (when he shall have 
arrived at the age of twenty-one years), executrix and executors of this 
my will and testament, in the construction of which it will be readily per- 
ceived that no professional character has been consulted or has had any 
agency in the draft ; and that although it has occupied many of my leisure 
hours to digest and to throw into its present form, it may, notwithstanding, 
appear crude and incorrect ; but having endeavored to be plain and ex- 
plicit in all the devises, even at the expense of prolixity, perhaps of tau- 
tology, I hope and trust that no disputes will arise concerning them. But 
if, contrary to expectation, the case should be otherwise from the want of 



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legal expressions or the usual technical terms, or because too much or 
too little has been said on any of the devises to be consonant with law, 
my will and direction expressly is that all disputes (if, unhappily, any 
should arise) shall be decided by three impartial and intelligent men, 
known for their probity and good understanding ; two to be chosen by 
the disputants, each having the choice of one, and the third by those two ; 
which three men, thus chosen, shall, unfettered by law or legal construc- 
tions, declare their sense of the testator's intention ; and such decision is, 
to all intents and purposes, to be as binding on the parties as if it had 
been given in the Supreme Court of the United States." 

The will is dated July 9, 1799, and is signed in a bold, clear hand, 
every page having Washington's name. The original manuscript is pre- 
served in the record office of the Fairfax county court-house, in Virginia. 

After Mrs. Washington's death, Bushrod Washington resided for some 
years at Mount Vernon. He was a member of the Supreme Court of 
the United States, and a jurist of profound learning and inflexible hon- 
esty. He died in 1826, and the Mount Vernon estate became the property 
of his nephew, John Augustine Washington. At his death, in 1832, his 
son, John Augustine Washington, was the heir. He held the estate until 
i860, when he disposed of it to the Mount Vernon Association. 





CHAPTER XXI. 

THE INAUGURATION CEREMONIES OF PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES— THE 
FIRST INAUGURATION IN WASHINGTON— ANCIENT AND MODERN CUSTOMS— THE 
INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT CLEVELAND— CEREMONY AT THE CAPITOL— TAKING 
THE OATH OF OFFICE— THE GRAND PROCESSION— THE INAUGURATION BALL IN 
THE NEW PENSION BUILDING. 

HE first President of the United States inaugurated in the city 
of Washington was Thomas Jefferson, who took the oath of 
office on the 4th of March, 1801. He was the third President, 
the others having been George Washington, who served two 
terms, and John Adams, who served one term. Washington was inaugu- 
rated for his first term in the city of New York on April 30, 1789. The 
First Congress of the United States met in New York on March 4, 1789, 
but had no quorum until April 6. On that day the electoral votes for 
President were counted by the Senate and House in joint session, and 
immediately afterwards a messenger was despatched to Mount Vernon to 
notify Washington of his election. Washington left home on April 16 
for New York, and during his journey thither was the recipient of grand 
popular demonstrations in the cities and towns along the route. Shortly 
after twelve o'clock on April 30 a troop of light dragoons and a legion 
of infantry, together with the inauguration committees of Congress and 
various officials, escorted Washington from his residence in New York 
to the Federal Hall, on Wall street, where Congress was sitting. On the 
site of this building the sub-treasury of the United States now stands. 
When Washington entered the Senate chamber, where both houses of 
Congress were in joint session, all present rose and remained standing 
until he had taken the seat assigned to him. In a few minutes he pro- 
ceeded to the balcony of the building, to take the oath of office within 
sight of the multitude assembled, who could not gain admission to the 
Senate chamber. The oath was administered by Robert R. Livingston, 
Chancellor of the State of New York. After the reading of the oath, 
Washington inclined his head and reverently kissed the Bible, which was 
held by the secretary of the Senate. Chancellor Livingston then waved 
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267 



his hand to the throng in front of the balcony and shouted in a clear, 
ringing voice, " Long live George Washington, President of the United 
States !" Tumultuous cheers were given, cannon were fired, and the 
church bells were rung. Washington returned to the Senate chamber 
and delivered his inaugural address, after which he attended a special 
service at St. Paul's church. He wore a suit of dark brown cloth which 
had been woven at Mount Vernon. His lower limbs were clad in small 
clothes and white silk stockings, and on his feet were large, square shoes 
with silver buckles set with diamonds. His hair was powdered, brushed 
back, and tied in a queue. At his side hung a long sword with an orna- 
mented hilt. 

At the time of Washington's second inauguration, March 4, 1793, 
Congress was sitting in Philadelphia, which was then the national capital. 
The " Congress-Hall" was at the corner of Chestnut and Fifth streets, 
and here the inaugural ceremony was performed. Washington rode to 
the building in a magnificent white coach drawn by six white horses, 
and was escorted by a large military force. The oath of office was ad- 
ministered by Justice William Cushing, of the Supreme Court of the 
United States. Washington, who was then in mourning for his mother, 
was attired in a black velvet suit, with knee breeches and black silk 
stockings. After taking the oath he read his inaugural address, and then 
withdrew to his residence. 

John Adams was also inaugurated in Philadelphia, on March 4, 1797. 
The ceremony took place in the hall of the House of Representatives, 
and the oath was administered by Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth. Many 
distinguished persons were present. 

When Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated the precise etiquette observed 
at the previous inaugurations was somewhat dispensed with. No military 
or other escort was tendered to him, as he had intimated that he did not 
wish one. President Adams left the city of Washington early on the 
morning of inauguration day, not caring to remain to see his successor 
inducted into office. Just before noon on March 4, 1801, Jefferson slowly 
rode down the muddy, unpaved Pennsylvania avenue, — a very slough of 
despond at that time, — courteously responding to the salutations of those 
who recognized him. He was unattended and rode his favorite blooded 
horse, " Wildair." When he arrived at the Capitol he dismounted and 
hitched his horse to the fence which enclosed a part of the western grounds, 
and then unceremoniously walked up the bank into the building. Upon 
entering the crowded Senate chamber he was escorted to the chair of the 
Vice-President, and immediately proceeded to deliver his inaugural 
address, or " annual speech," as the President's remarks were then called. 



2 68 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

When he had finished, Chief Justice John Marshall administered the oath 
to him. He then returned without ceremony to the White House on 
" Wildair," and during the afternoon and evening held a public reception. 
He wore a plain blue cloth suit, remarkable only for its extreme simplicity. 

At Jefferson's second inauguration, March 4, 1805, about the same 
ceremony was observed. Chief Justice Marshall again administered the 
oath, and Justices William Cushing, William Patterson, and Bushrod 
Washington were present. On this occasion Jefferson was attired in a 
blue coat with brass buttons, a scarlet waistcoat, blue knee breeches, and 
white silk stockings. 

Since Jefferson's time there have been many inaugurations at the 
national capital. James Madison was inaugurated in 1809 and 181 3, 
James Monroe in 1817 and i82i,John Quincy Adams in 1825, Andrew 
Jackson in 1829 and 1833, Martin Van Buren in 1837, William Henry 
Harrison in 1841, John Tyler (after the death of Harrison) in 1841, James 
K. Polk in 1845, Zachary Taylor in 1849, Millard Fillmore (after the death 
of Taylor) in 1850, Franklin Pierce in 1853, James Buchanan in [857, 
Abraham Lincoln in 1861 and 1865, Andrew Johnson (after the death of 
Lincoln) in 1865, Ulysses S. Grant in 1869 and 1873, Rutherford B. Hayes 
in 1877, James A. Garfield in 1881, Chester A. Arthur (after the death 
of Garfield) in 1881, and Grover Cleveland in 1885. These inaugurations 
were marked by special demonstrations varying in their degree of en- 
thusiasm and interest according to the state of popular feeling at the time. 

The first inauguration of Madison was, it is stated, " notable for demon- 
strations of joy." The ceremony took place in the hall of the House of 
Representatives, and it was not until the first inauguration of Monroe that 
the custom of delivering the inaugural address and taking the oath on the 
eastern portico of the Capitol was begun. A writer in 18 17 said, "The 
difference said to have existed between the two houses in respect to the 
appropriation of the Representative chamber was rather fortunate than 
otherwise, since it caused the ceremony of the President swearing fealty 
to the Constitution to take place in the view, if not in the hearing, of all 
the people of the United States who chose to witness it. This, it appears 
to us, is a mode far preferable to that of being cramped up in a hall, into 
which, however extensive, not more than four or five hundred people can 
possibly have admittance." At Monroe's second inauguration the weather 
was too cold for the open-air exercises, and they were consequently held 
in the hall of the House. And when John Quincy Adams was inaugu- 
rated he preferred to have the ceremony in-doors. But from the inaugura- 
tion of Jackson to the present time the Presidents have all sworn fealty to 
the Constitution on the Capitol portico. 




PRESIDENT CLEVELAND AT HIS DESK IN THE WHITE HOUSE. 



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Jackson declined an escort to the Capitol on his inauguration day, 
and, unattended, rode his spirited war horse down Pennsylvania avenue. 
At every step of the way he was lustily cheered by the great throng of 
people who had gathered from different sections of the country to see the 
gallant soldier inaugurated. Daniel Webster afterwards wrote, " I never 
saw such a crowd here before. Persons have come five hundred miles to 
see General Jackson, and they really seem to think that the country is 
rescued from some dreadful danger." After Jackson had delivered his 
inaugural address, and taken the oath administered by Chief Justice 
Marshall, salutes were fired, and a procession was formed to escort him to 
the White House. 

Van Buren's inauguration was also the occasion of enthusiastic dem- 
onstrations. He had a fine military escort, and rode to the Capitol and 
back to the White House in a handsome phaeton constructed of wood 
taken from the old frigate Constitution. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney 
administered the oath. Harrison's inauguration called out a great crowd 
of spectators. The " hero of Tippecanoe" rode down Pennsylvania 
avenue on a white horse, accompanied by various military organizations, 
including a battalion of soldiers who had served under him. He read his 
address nearly through, then stopped, and was sworn into office by Chief 
Justice Taney, and then finished his address. In the evening he attended 
several balls given in his honor. At the inauguration of Polk and of 
Taylor there were about the usual exercises. Pierce and Buchanan were 
inaugurated with great pomp and ceremony. The attendance of strangers 
on both occasions was large, and the military parades were exceedingly 
imposing. Chief Justice Taney administered the oath to both these 
Presidents. Grand inauguration balls were given. 

At the first inauguration of Lincoln there were apprehensions that an 
attempt would be made to prevent the ceremony, and the greatest pre- 
cautions were taken. Lincoln was closely guarded by trusty men during 
the entire ceremony. There was a long procession of military and civic 
organizations. After the inauguration Lincoln held a reception at the 
White House, which was attended by several thousand people. His 
second inauguration was marked by a great concourse of spectators and 
an extensive military parade. The city was handsomely decorated for 
the occasion. The inaugurations of Grant and Garfield were splendid 
demonstrations in every particular. On these occasions the city had 
thousands of visitors, the inaugural processions were long and imposing, 
and there were magnificent fireworks and grand balls. Vice-Presidents 
Tyler, Fillmore, Johnson, and Arthur, who assumed the office of Presi- 
dent, simply took the constitutional oath without public formality. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



271 



With the inauguration of Grover Cleveland as President of the United 
States, on the 4th of March, 1885, the Democratic party once more ac- 
quired the control of the government, after a period of twenty-four years. 
In magnitude and grandeur, in the diversity of its features of interest, this 
inauguration far exceeded all that had preceded it since the capital city 
was established. The day was well nigh perfect, — a clear, sunny day, 
with the fragrant, delightful air of spring. There was the largest out- 
pouring of people ever known in Washington. The lowest estimate gives 
the number of visitors from all sections of the country at one hundred 
and fifty thousand, and there is good reason for the belief that there were 
as many as two hundred thousand. For the first time the broad, spacious 
city seemed crowded, but the immense multitude was accommodated with 
a great deal less trouble and discomfort than might have been expected. 
The military parade was the grandest and most extensive since the review 
of the army in 1865, and the civic parade was never equalled in extent and 
variety. About thirty thousand men were in the march with bright and 
handsome uniforms, glistening arms, and magnificent banners, and the 
long line as it stretched up Pennsylvania avenue as far as could be seen 
was a superb and remarkable sight. The city was decorated as it never 
had been before, and along the principal thoroughfares the buildings were 
nearly hidden by rich and brilliant decorations. Pennsylvania avenue for 
more than a mile was one unbroken mass of flags and bunting and deco- 
rative embellishments. All the government buildings were adorned in a 
beautiful manner, and some of them were notable for the extent and 
artistic arrangement of their decorations. Nothing occurred to mar the 
festivities, and the inauguration, all in all, was an event long to be re- 
membered. 

Cleveland's journey from the White House to the Capitol to be in- 
augurated was the first ceremony of the day. At an early hour a great 
crowd gathered around the hotel where the Presidential party had rooms, 
all eager to catch a glimpse of the man who was to guide the ship of state 
for four years. Shortly after ten o'clock a carriage drove up to the hotel 
with the committee appointed to escort Cleveland to the White House. 
Cleveland soon appeared on the hotel steps, and was greeted by en- 
thusiastic cheers. He saluted the crowd in a cordial manner, and entering 
the carriage was driven to the White House, followed by hundreds of 
people, who cheered again and again as they hastened along the street. 
When the White House was reached President Arthur advanced and wel- 
comed the President-elect. Hearty handshaking followed, and then the 
party entered the East Room to await the arrival of Vice-President-elect 
Hendricks. When he arrived a warm greeting was given him. An an- 



2 « 2 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

nouncement was soon made that all was ready for the departure for the 
Capitol. Two elegant carriages had been provided for the party. The 
first was drawn by four bay horses and conveyed the President and the 
President-elect and two Senators; the second was drawn by four white 
Arabian horses and conveyed the Vice-President-elect and two Senators. 
The carriages were driven from the White House grounds to the place 
awaiting them in the procession which had been formed to escort the 
party to the Capitol. There was tumultuous cheering as the multitude 
recognized the occupants of the carriages. The order to march was soon 
given, and the procession moved rapidly down Pennsylvania avenue. 

A body of United States troops headed the procession, their ranks 
extending entirely across the broad avenue. Then followed a battalion 
of the Marine Corps of the navy with the celebrated Marine Band. The 
Presidential party came next, escorted by General H. W. Slocum, the chief 
marshal, and his staff, and the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, and 
followed by the National Democratic Committee and the Inauguration 
Committee in carriages. The militia of the District of Columbia, headed 
by the Washington Light Infantry, came next, and the escorting division 
was closed by various posts of the Grand Army of the Republic. The 
avenue was filled with a solid mass of humanity, and the Presidential 
party received an ovation all along the line of march. Men shouted them- 
selves hoarse, women frantically waved handkerchiefs, and all sorts of 
demonstrations were made. Words would fail to give an idea of the enthu- 
siasm and popular feeling. Cleveland kept his hat in his hand and bowed 
to the right and left almost constantly as his carriage rolled along. The 
same hearty reception was given to Hendricks, whose carriage followed. 
When the Presidential party reached the eastern grounds of the Capitol 
it was received by another demonstration of enthusiasm from a vast mul- 
titude filling every part of the extensive area. The shouts which arose 
were loud and prolonged, and only ceased when Cleveland and Hendricks 
had disappeared within the building. 

Inside the Capitol a distinguished audience had gathered to witness 
the inaugural ceremony. The Senate chamber was crowded. All the 
high officials of the government were present, together with the leading 
officers of the army and navy, the diplomatic corps, and the justices of 
the Supreme Court of the United States. The Senate galleries were filled 
with ladies and gentlemen who had been honored with special invitations. 
The Senate was engaged in the closing business of the Forty-eighth Con- 
gress, but the Senators had plenty of leisure to receive their visitors. 
Shortly after twelve o'clock President Arthur entered the chamber, and 
was escorted to a seat immediately in front of the desk of the President 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



273 



of the Senate. Then the announcement was made, " The President-elect 
of the United States," and Cleveland, attended by two Senators, appeared 
at the main door of the Senate. At his appearance the entire assemblage 
rose and applauded heartily. He advanced down the aisle, bowing first to 
the right and then to the left, bearing his honors with dignity and perfect 
self-possession, and took a seat by the side of President Arthur. Vice- 
President-elect Hendricks was then announced, and was received with 
great applause. He advanced to the desk of Acting Vice-President 
Edmunds and took the oath of office as Vice-President of the United 
States. Acting Vice-President Edmunds then delivered a brief valedictory 
address, and declared the Senate adjourned without day. 

Vice-President Hendricks at once took the seat of the presiding 
officer, and called the Senate to order in extra session. Prayer was 
offered by the chaplain of the Senate, after which the Vice-President 
made a short address. The new Senators were sworn in, and, after some 
other business had been transacted, a procession was formed to escort 
the President and President-elect to the platform in front of the central 
portico of the Capitol, where the inaugural ceremony was to take place. 




PRESIDENT CLEVELAND ENTERING THE ROTUNDA OF THE CAPITOL ON THE WAY 
TO HIS INAUGURATION. 

18 



274 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

The procession was made up as follows : Marshal of the District of 
Columbia and Marshal of the Supreme Court, the Justices of the Supreme 
Court, the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate, the Committee of Arrange- 
ments, the President and the President-elect, the Vice-President and the 
Secretary of the Senate, Members of the Senate, the Diplomatic Corps, 
Heads of the Departments, the Lieutenant-General of the Army, the 
Admiral of the Navy, and the Officers of the Army and Navy who, by 
name, have received the thanks of Congress, Members of the House of 
Representatives and members-elect, Governors and ex-Governors of 
States, Officers of the Senate, and Officers of the House of Repre- 
sentatives. 

The procession moved through the rotunda of the Capitol, and at 
precisely half-past twelve o'clock emerged from the main door on to the 
portico. The platform erected for the inaugural ceremony was nearly one 
hundred feet square, and was the largest ever used for such an occasion. 
It was covered with two thousand chairs, for the accommodation of those 
who had been present in the Senate chamber, and was profusely draped 
with American flags. The multitude in front of the platform extended in 
a compact mass clear back to the edge of the eastern park, and its flanks 
spread out over a thousand feet to the right and left, while many thou- 
sands more were gathered on the grounds farther back. It is believed 
there were two hundred thousand people in this assemblage, which was 
the greatest ever seen at an inauguration. On the streets and avenues 
east of the Capitol the military and civic organizations which were to 
participate in the grand parade were massed in columns, and as far as 
could be seen were flashing bayonets, waving banners, gay uniforms, and 
richly-caparisoned horses, making a pageant of rare magnificence. 

The seats on the platform were quickly filled by those who had formed 
the Presidential escort and others who had been admitted to the Capitol. 
In a few minutes President Arthur and President-elect Cleveland appeared 
on the portico, accompanied by the Chief Justice and Associate Justices 
of the Supreme Court of the United States and the Congressional com- 
mittee, and advanced down the platform to the seats in front reserved for 
them. There was an outburst of applause from those on the platform, 
which was followed by cheer upon cheer from the vast multitude on the 
Capitol grounds. 

After a short pause, Cleveland rose and began his inaugural address. 
He was dressed in a plain black suit, and appeared perfectly at ease. His 
voice was clear and resonant, and his words could be heard at a great 
distance. His address was delivered from memory, and only occasional 
reference was made to the notes he held in his hand. At every pause 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



275 




PRESIDENT CLEVELAND TAKING THE OATH OF OFFICE. 



cheers were given, and the forcible and manly style of the speaker im- 
pressed all who listened to him. The address was brief, and at a few 
minutes past one o'clock he had finished. Turning to Chief Justice 
Morrison R. Waite, he bowed and said, " I am now prepared to take the 
oath prescribed by law." 

The Chief Justice rose to administer the oath, which he recited in a 
distinct tone. The oath is as follows : " I do solemnly swear that I will 
faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will, to 
the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of 
the United States." Cleveland said, " I swear," and reverently kissed the 
open Bible, which he took in his hands. Then laying it down he shook 
hands with the Chief Justice, who warmly congratulated him as the 
twenty-second President of the United States. The other persons on the 
platform then pressed forward and congratulated him, and the multitude 
on the Capitol grounds shouted with great enthusiasm. In a few minutes 



276 



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President Cleveland left the platform, walked to the basement entrance of 
the Capitol, and entered his carriage, to be driven in the grand procession 
up Pennsylvania avenue to the White House. 

The Bible used in administering the oath of office was a small, well- 
worn volume bound in leather, which had been given to President Cleve- 
land by his mother when he left home in his youth to seek his fortune in 
the world, and always had been cherished by him. On its front cover 
was the name, " S. G. Cleveland." By the President's special request it 
was used for the ceremony. It was opened by the Chief Justice without 
any intention of selecting a particular place, and the place that was kissed 
by the President was, therefore, the result purely of chance. As the type 
used in the Bible is small, the lips of the President touched six verses of 
the 112th Psalm, from verse 5 to verse 10 inclusive. They are as follows : 

" A good man showeth favor, and lendeth : he will guide his affairs 
with discretion. 

" Surely he shall not be moved forever; the righteous shall be in ever- 
lasting remembrance. 

" He shall not be afraid of evil tidings ; his heart is fixed, trusting in 
the Lord. 

" His heart is established ; he shall not be afraid, until he see his 
desire upon his enemies. 

" He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor ; his righteousness 
endureth forever; his horn shall be exalted with honor. 

"The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his 
teeth, and melt away; the desire of the wicked shall perish." 

During the inaugural ceremony the procession had been well organ- 
ized by the marshals, and when the Presidential party arrived to take its 
place in line the order to march was given promptly, and the column 
moved down Capitol Hill. General H. W. Slocum, chief marshal, rode 
at the head of the column, followed by his staff and members of the in- 
auguration committee, all mounted. Then came the Presidential party in 
two carriages. The first carriage contained President Cleveland, ex-Presi- 
dent Arthur, and two Senators ; the second carriage contained Vice- 
President Hendricks and two Senators. 

Then followed the first, or escort division, commanded by Brevet 
Major-General R. B. Ayres, United States Army. The division was 
headed by two battalions of United States artillery from Fort McHenry 
and Fortress Monroe, Light Battery A, and a battalion of the United 
States Marine Corps. Then came the militia organizations of the District 
of Columbia, as follows : Washington Light Infantry, Union Veteran 
Corps, National Rifles, Washington Continentals, Emmet Guard, Wash- 



278 



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ington Rifle Corps, Butler Zouaves, Washington Cadet Corps, Capitol 
City Guards, and Webster Rifles. The division was closed by the Grand 
Army of the Republic, Department of the Potomac, parading with ten 
posts. 

The second division was entirely composed of the National Guard of 
the State of Pennsylvania, Major-General John F. Hartranft, commanding. 
The first brigade consisted of the First, Second, Third, and Sixth Regi- 
ments, the State Fencibles, the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, the 
Gray Invincibles, and Battery A. The second brigade consisted of the 
Fifth, Tenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Eighteenth Regiments, 
the Sheridan Troop, and Battery B. The third brigade consisted of the 
Fourth, Eighth, Ninth, Twelfth, and Thirteenth Regiments, and Battery 
C. About 7500 men were in this division, and each brigade had a band, 
and each regiment a fife and drum corps. 

The third division was in command of Major-General Fitzhugh Lee, 
01 Virginia. First in line were troops composing the Virginia Volunteers, 
as follows : Corps of Cadets from the Virginia Military Institute ; Com- 
panies A, B, and D, First Regiment of Virginia ; Richmond Light In- 
fantry Blues; St. John's Academy Cadets, Alexandria; Second Regiment 
of Virginia ; Harrisburg Guards ; Anderson Guards ; Winchester Light 
Infantry; Berneville Company; Warren Light Infantry; Third and 
Fourth Regiments of Virginia; Wise Light Infantry; Norfolk City 
Guard; Petersburg Grays; Second Battalion Virginia Volunteers; 
Langston Guard ; Virginia Guard ; Seaboard Elliot Grays, Portsmouth ; 
National Guard ; Hannibal Guard ; Garfield Light Infantry, Fredericks- 
burg; State Guard, Richmond. 

Then followed the American Rifles, Wilmington, Del. ; Phil Kearney 
Guard, Elizabeth, N. J. ; Governor's Guards, Columbia, S. C. ; Clarke 
Light Infantry, and Clinch Rifles, Augusta, Ga. ; Fifth Regiment Mary- 
land National Guard ; Governor's Guards, Annapolis, Md. ; Bond Guard, 
Catonsville, Md. ; Towson Guards, Towson, Md. ; Monumental City 
Guards, Baltimore ; Baltimore Rifles ; Washington Infantry, Pittsburg, 
Pa. ; South Carolina Volunteers, Charleston, S. C. ; Sixty-ninth Regiment 
National Guard, State of New York ; Jackson Corps, Albany, N. Y. ; 
Thirty-first Separate Company National Guard, State of New York, 
Mohawk, N. Y. ; Washington Continentals, Schenectady, N. Y. ; Des 
Grenadiers Rochambeau, New York City; Hornet's Nest Riflemen, Char- 
lotte, N. C. ; Forsythe Riflemen, Winston, N. C. ; Edgecombe Guards, 
Tarborough, N. C. ; Meagher Guards, Providence, R. I. ; Busch Zouaves, 
St. Louis, Mo.; High School Cadets, Corcoran Cadets, National Rifles' 
Cadets, Gonzaga Cadets, Washington, D. C. ; Light Guards, Sandusky, O. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 2 *7Q 

All the military organizations had bands of music or fife and drum 
corps. 

The fourth division was in command of Major Thomas J. Luttrell, and 
was composed of civic organizations, as follows : Jackson Democratic 
Association, Washington, D. C. ; Society of Tammany, Irving Hall Dem- 
ocratic Club, and the County Democracy, New York City; Democratic 
Phalanx, Albany, N. Y. ; Kings County Democracy, and the Cleveland 
and Hendricks War Veterans, Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Democratic Club, Har- 
lem, N. Y. ; Thomas Jefferson Club, New York City; Young Men's 
Democratic Club, Washington, D. C. ; Bayard Legion, Wilmington, Del.; 
Joel Parker Association, and the Kruger Engineers, Newark, N. J. ; New 
Jersey Democratic Battalion, Camden, N. J. ; Iroquois Club, and the Cook 
County Democracy, Chicago, 111. ; Duckworth Club, Cincinnati, O. ; 
Democratic Legion, Buffalo, N. Y. ; Jefferson Club, Cincinnati, O. ; Jack- 
son Club, and the Democratic Glee Club, Columbus, O. ; Americus Club, 
Samuel J. Randall Association, R. S. Patterson Association, Moyamensing 
Legion, Hancock Veteran Association, Sensenderfer Young Men's Demo- 
cratic Association, Eleventh Ward Randall Club, Samuel J. Randall As- 
sociation of First Congressional District, Continental Club, Monroe Club, 
Andrew Jackson Club, and First Ward Democratic Association, Philadel- 
phia, Pa. ; Americus Club, Reading, Pa. ; Central Democratic Club, 
Harrisburg, Pa. ; Calumet Club, Crescent Club, Taney Club, German 
American Democratic Association, Stonewall Club, and Bohemian Club, 
Baltimore, Md. ; Monumental Club, and the Madison Club, Washington, 
D. C. ; Democratic Inauguration Club, Portland, Me.; First Cleveland 
Flag Escort, Moberly, Mo. ; Davis Democratic Club, Piedmont, W. Va. ; 
Young Men's Democratic Club, Wheeling, W. Va. ; Democratic Flam- 
beau Club, Topeka, Kan. ; Democratic Club, Kansas City, Mo. ; Flag 
Cavalry of the Two Hundred and Nineteen Electoral Votes, Washington, 
D. C. ; Lewinsville Cleveland and Hendricks Club, Fairfax County, Va. ; 
Veteran Firemen's Association, New York City; Fire Department of the 
District of Columbia. The clubs and associations were accompanied by 
bands of music, and carried elegant banners. 

As the procession moved up Pennsylvania avenue it presented a most 
magnificent spectacle. Constant applause and cheers were given the 
Presidential party, and the various military and civic organizations were 
received with enthusiastic demonstrations. The avenue, the broadest in 
the world, was densely packed with spectators. All the public reserva- 
tions had stands extending their entire length, and these were filled to 
overflowing. Upon the front of nearly every building a stand was erected 
from one to three stories in height, and all these stands were crowded. 



^g THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

The military marched in company front, and the clubs and associations 
marched as compactly as possible, yet the procession, moving rapidly, 
was three hours passing a given point. The route of march was four 
miles long. 

When the head of the procession reached the Treasury building a halt 
was made for a few minutes to allow President Cleveland to leave the line 
for the reviewing stand on Pennsylvania avenue, directly in front of the 
White House. The stand was profusely decorated with flags and bunting, 
and contained many prominent people. The President stood on a pro- 
jecting platform covered with flags, and remained standing during the 
entire review, cordially responding to the salutes of the various organiza- 
tions as they passed. It was past five o'clock when he retired to the 
White House. 

The festivities of the evening included a magnificent display of fire- 
works on the White House grounds, and the grand inauguration ball in 
the new Pension building. A vast assemblage witnessed the fireworks, 
which were the finest ever seen in Washington. The display embraced 
flights of hundreds of rockets at a time, producing a mass of gold, silver, 
and variegated lights, which had a superb effect. Japanese shells and great 
bombs were exploded in immense numbers, and there were many varieties 
of mines of stars and serpents, floral fountains, batteries with signal rockets, 
etc., making mammoth sprays of colored fire. There were three prominent 
set pieces. The first consisted of a portrait of Thomas Jefferson, sixty 
feet high, which was festooned with banners in national colors, and pre- 
sented a beautiful appearance. The second represented the eastern front 
of the Capitol, with portraits of Cleveland and Hendricks on the sides, 
while on one corner appeared the figure of a sailor, and on the other that 
of a mechanic, and the motto " Peace and Prosperity" was displayed above 
the dome. This piece was one hundred and sixty feet long and seventy- 
five feet high, and was the most elaborate one ever fired in the United 
States. The third set piece was a representation in vivid golden fire of 
Niagara Falls. It was nearly three hundred feet long, and was a faithful 
presentation of that great natural wonder. The display concluded with 
the flight of five thousand rockets, forming a gigantic outburst of colored 
fire in mid-air. 

The inauguration ball was a brilliant finale to the ceremonies of the 
day. It was held in the unfinished Pension building on Judiciary Square. 
The building has an interior court-yard more than three hundred feet long 
and more than one hundred feet wide, and this was roofed over, a smooth 
floor laid, and the whole interior transformed by skilful hands into a 
veritable palace of beauty. 



2 g2 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

The custom of having inauguration balls dates back to the second in- 
auguration of President Washington, in Philadelphia, 1793. At that time 
the following invitation was published : " The members of the Senate and 
the House of Representatives of the United States are respectfully invited 
to a ball on the 4th of March, 1793, to be given by the Dancing Assembly, 
in honor of the unanimous re-election of George Washington, the Presi- 
dent of the United States, the anniversary of the present form of govern- 
ment of the United States, and a parting leave with the members of the 
present Congress." 

The first inauguration ball given at the national capital was when 
James Madison was inaugurated, in 1809. It took place at Long's 
Hotel, and was attended by about four hundred persons, including ex- 
President Jefferson, the high officials of the government, members of 
Congress, and the foreign ministers, and was declared "a most brilliant 
affair." Carusi's Saloon, on Eleventh street, now used as a variety 
theatre, was for years the fashionable ball-room of the city, and here the 
inauguration balls were usually held until the incoming of President 
Taylor. The ball in his honor was given in a structure erected for the 
occasion, as were the balls given for Presidents Pierce and Buchanan. 
At the first inauguration of President Lincoln a temporary structure was 
used for the ball, but at his second inauguration the ball was held in the 
Patent Office building. The first Grant inaugural ball was held in the 
north wing of the Treasury building, and the second in a building 
erected on Judiciary Square. The National Museum was used for the 
Garfield ball. 

The ball-room in which the Cleveland inauguration ball was held was 
remarkable for its size and elaborate decorations. It was the largest ever 
used for a Presidential fete. The floor had a waxed surface three hun- 
dred and sixteen feet long and one hundred and sixteen feet wide. Eight 
ponderous columns in the centre divided the huge quadrangle into what 
might be called three separate rooms, but did not interfere with the dancing 
or promenading from end to end of the long court. The floor was sur- 
rounded by capacious galleries, and there were reception-rooms, supper- 
rooms, etc., at the ends and sides of the building. The arrangement of 
columns and galleries gave ample opportunity for decoration, and flags, 
banners, and bunting of every description were used in a lavish manner 
to make the great room a scene of rare beauty. The central columns 
supporting the roof were covered with white muslin, and had entwined 
around them broad bands of evergreens. Between the evergreens were 
leaves of the palmetto plant, placed in irregular Japanese designs half-way 
up the columns. The smaller columns supporting the galleries were 



284 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



decorated with palmetto leaves at their base, and at their top silken banners 
with stars of gold were suspended. The front of the galleries was covered 
with drapery of maroon velvet, in which handsome designs in golden 
thread were woven. Trophy pieces, consisting of small silk flags mounted 
on silver-tipped spears and upholding a national shield, were placed along 
the front of the galleries. The ceiling, which was at a height of seventy- 
five feet, was entirely hidden by masses of gayly-colored bunting, and 
from a central point in each of the divisions hung hundreds of broad 
pennants, interspersed with ropes of evergreens, which were brought down 
and looped against the wall. The bannered ceiling was very beautiful, 
and the innumerable flags, festoons, and streamers composing it had a very 
pleasing effect. Great electric lamps hanging from the ceiling flooded the 
vast room with a soft, clear light, and all the details of form and decora- 
tion were distinctly brought out. 

At the east end of the room there was a large, brilliant star of colored 
lights, and just below this was a magnificent Venetian mirror, with a 
frame composed of hundreds of pieces of cut glass, which reflected the 
colors of the rainbow. Plants and flowers were grouped here and there, 
adding color and fragrance. The walls of the building were concealed 
by flags of varied nationalities, and at short intervals were silken banners 
bearing the arms of all nations finely embroidered in glowing tints. The 
entrances to all the rooms leading from the ball-room were draped with 
damask silk curtains of blue, red, and old gold. Between the rows of 
columns in the centre of the room were two music stands, one for the 
dance music and the other for the concert music. Each was decorated 
with damask silk and maroon velvet. The stairways leading to the gal- 
leries were draped with the flags of all nations. 

The room set apart for the use of President Cleveland and the 
members of his party was artistically decorated and elegantly furnished. 
A Wilton carpet covered the floor, and the furniture was of mahogany 
upholstered in maroon and blue velvet. The walls were lined with satin 
banners, and the windows were draped with rich ecru and garnet tapestry 
curtains. Vines of smilax festooned the ceiling, making a beautiful green 
bower, and roses and exotics were profusely displayed. Life-size paintings 
of Jefferson and Cleveland hung on the west wall, and on the east wall 
were landscape paintings. 

The parlor used by the reception committee was handsomely deco- 
rated. In addition to the flowers and tropical plants there were eight 
large floral designs specially arranged to represent the White House and 
the executive departments of the government. The White House was 
represented by a design of the President's chair made of red and white 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



285 



roses, under a canopy of smilax and flowers. For the Department of 
State there was a floral device of the coat of arms of the United States 
surmounted by an eagle ; for the Treasury Department, a large combina- 
tion safe ; for the War Department, two cannons crossed ; for the Navy 
Department, a full-rigged war ship ; for the Post-Office Department, a 
mail-bag marked U. S. M., and a letter addressed to President Grover 
Cleveland, and postmarked Washington, D. C, March 4th, 9 p.m. ; for the 
Department of the Interior, a stump of a tree with an axe imbedded in it, 
and a plough, a scythe, and a sheaf of wheat at its base ; for the Depart- 
ment of Justice, a desk and an open book, and the scales of justice, with 
the motto, " Fiat Justitia." All these designs were artistically executed 
in immortelles, roses of various kinds, and lilies of the valley. 

It was not until ten o'clock that the ball-room began to be crowded, 
but from this time until far into the morning the huge floor was filled 
with a gay company, and the galleries contained a great throng of spec- 
tators. Nearly ten thousand people were present, and the receipts from 
the sale of tickets amounted to about $40,000. The scene presented was, 
doubtless, the most magnificent ever witnessed in a ball-room in America, 
and surpassed the most sanguine expectations. The rich and handsome 
toilets of the ladies, the varied uniforms of the military and naval officers, 
the splendid decorations, the great masses of flowers, the high, long room 
with its bannered ceiling, all combined to form a spectacle of entrancing 
effect. Music for promenading was furnished by the United States Marine 
Band, and music for dancing by the Germania Orchestra of Philadelphia. 

President Cleveland and Vice-President Hendricks, accompanied by 
a distinguished party, arrived at the ball about eleven o'clock. After 
holding a reception, the Presidential party made the tour of the ball- 
room, and departed soon after midnight. The ball was the greatest 
social success ever known in Washington, and fitly closed the memorable 
inauguration. 




CHAPTER XXII. 

THE CHURCHES OF WASHINGTON— SKETCHES OF THE ANCIENT RELIGIOUS ORGANS.. 
TIONS— CHURCHES THAT WERE ATTENDED BY THE PRESIDENTS— THE PROMINENT 
CHURCHES— THE COLORED POPULATION— HOW EMANCIPATION WAS ACCOMPLISHED 
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 

HERE are many fine church edifices in Washington, and the 
number is rapidly increasing from year to year. During the 
past decade there has been a marked improvement in church 
architecture, and a strong desire has been manifested by all 
the denominations erecting new churches to have them conform, in some 
degree at least, with the ornate architectural forms employed throughout 
the city for other buildings. Washington is a city of churches, and even 
Brooklyn, which has for a long time assumed this title, does not now 
number as many churches in proportion to the population. The church 
organizations with but few exceptions are in a prosperous condition, and 
are constantly extending their fields of labor and increasing their influence 
and means. Many years before the District of Columbia was set apart for 
the use of the government a church was erected on Rock creek, a short 
distance above the present limits of Washington. Its erection was largely 
owing to the efforts of John Bradford, one of the early settlers of the dis- 
trict. He gave a large tract of land for the church, and imported bricks 
from England to build it. In 17 19 it was dedicated, and it is, therefore, 
one of the oldest in the country, antedating the old Christ Church in 
Alexandria by forty-six years. It is known as St. Paul's Church, of Rock 
Creek Parish, and is of the Episcopal denomination. The edifice has 
been remodelled within a few years, but the original walls remain in a 
good state of preservation. In the cemetery attached to the church a 
large number of the early residents of the District of Columbia are 
buried. 

Another ancient church is the Christ Episcopal Church, situated in 

the southeast quarter of Washington, near the navy-yard. This is the 

oldest church in the city, it having been erected in 1795, five years 

before the government took possession of the national capital. At that 

286 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



287 




ASCENSION EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 



time the city was little more than a " howling wilderness," and the founders 
of the little church had a hard struggle for some years to maintain it. 
But they were hopeful, patient, and courageous, and year by year made 
progress towards a permanent establishment. In 1807 the society of 
Christ Church, with the help of citizens of the eastern part of Washing- 
ton, laid out the " Washington Parish Burial-Ground," on the banks of the 
Anacostia river. Afterwards Congress appropriated money for the burial- 
ground, and its name was changed to " Congressional Cemetery." Some 
of the early Presidents attended divine service in Christ Church, and it is 
noted in the church records that a committee waited on President Monroe 
soon after his inauguration in 18 17, and informed him that the vestry of 
the church had passed a resolution assigning "pew number one" for his 
use during his term of office. Monroe accepted the pew, and became a 
warm friend and liberal supporter of the church. He attended service 
every Sunday morning with his family, and was also frequently present at 
other services. 



2 88 THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

In 1816 another Episcopal church was erected in the northwest 
quarter of the city. This was St. John's Church, on the corner of H and 
16th streets. The services of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the architect of 
the central part of the Capitol, were secured to design and construct the 
church, and he produced a work which was greatly admired in those 
days. President Madison worshipped in this venerable church, and other 
Presidents have been regular worshippers. All through his official term 
President Arthur regularly attended the morning service here. 

The Trinity Episcopal Church, corner of Third and C streets north- 
west, was erected soon after St. John's. Among the other leading 
churches of this denomination are the Church of the Ascension, corner 
of Massachusetts avenue and Twelfth street, and the Church of the 
Epiphany, on G street northwest. There are twenty-six Episcopal 
churches in the city. 

The First Presbyterian Church, on Four and one-half street, near 
Judiciary Square, which is attended by President Cleveland, has num- 
bered several Presidents among its attendants. President Jackson wor- 
shipped in it during his second term, but during most of his first term he 
worshipped in the Second Presbyterian, now known as the New York 
Avenue Church. It is stated that in President Jackson's first term " oc- 
curred that famous quarrel among the members of his Cabinet in regard 
to the social recognition of Mrs. General Eaton, the wife of the Secretary 
of War. Before her marriage with General Eaton she was known as 
Peggy O'Neil, the daughter of the proprietor of the leading hotel in 
Washington, and she was a famous beauty. President Jackson warmly 
espoused the cause of Mrs. Eaton, and in his characteristic style deter- 
mined that every one else should do the same. This episode was taken 
advantage of by the factions then existing in the Democratic party, led 
respectively by Martin Van Buren and John C. Calhoun, and, as the 
result, the entire Cabinet was reorganized, and the political effects of 
what was alleged to be jealousy on the part of the ladies toward beautiful 
Peggy O'Neil went far beyond what such an apparently slight cause 
would seem to justify in the calm light of history. At any rate, the 
Mrs. Eaton quarrel extended to the church, and the pastor of the Second 
Presbyterian refused to recognize Mrs. Eaton, and so Old Hickory, in 
high dudgeon, left the church and went to the First Presbyterian, where 
he remained until his second term as President expired, in 1837, and he 
retired to his home in Tennessee." 

The First Presbyterian Church was also attended by Presidents Polk, 
Pierce, and Buchanan. The church society was organized in 1795, and at 
first held its meetings on the Sabbath, in a small building on the White 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



289 



House grounds used by the carpenters employed in constructing the 
Presidential mansion. When the Capitol was erected the society obtained 
permission to hold meetings in the chamber occupied by the Supreme 
Court, and, until the Capitol was burned by the British invaders, services 
were held every Sunday in the court chamber. Afterwards, for nearly 
two years, the society was compelled to suspend its services, as no place 
of meeting could be obtained, but finally a small church was erected 
south of the Capitol. This church was used until 1828, when it was 
sold, the location on Four and one-half street secured, and a new church 
erected. In 1859 the present church was constructed. The pastor of the 
First Presbyterian, Rev. Dr. Byron Sunderland, has occupied the pulpit 
for thirty-two years, and during his long pastorate has witnessed many 
changes. There are twenty-one Presbyterian churches in the city, the 




FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 
19 



290 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




NEW YORK AVENUE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 



New York Avenue Church being the leading one. President Lincoln 
attended this church. 

The All Souls' Church, on Fourteenth street northwest, is the only- 
Unitarian church in the city. It was dedicated in 1878. The first church 
of this denomination was erected in 1822, and was attended by John 
Quincy Adams before and after he became President. During the Civil 
War the church was used by the government as a hospital, and the 
society was granted the privilege of holding its Sunday services in the 
hall of the House of Representatives. 

The Church of Our Father, on Thirteenth street northwest, is the 
only Universalist church in Washington. It was occupied by the Univer- 
salist society in 1883. Previous to that time the society held its meetings 
in the Masonic Temple and other halls for a number of years. 

There are fifty-two Methodist churches in the city. The principal 
ones are the Metropolitan Church, on Four and one-half street, which 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



291 



was attended by President Grant, and the Foundry Church, on G street 
northwest, which was established in 181 5. The Baptists have forty-five 
churches. The First Baptist Church was established in 1803. There are 
four Congregational and ten Lutheran churches. 

The Garfield Memorial Church, named in honor of President Garfield, 
is situated on Vermont avenue, and is of the Christian or Campbellite 
faith. During the many years that Garfield served in Congress he was 
a regular attendant at the little chapel which formerly stood on the site 
of this church, and was deeply interested in the Campbellite society. 
When he was elected President the society determined to erect a new 
church, which should be the leading one of the faith in the country. 
The church was not finished at the time of the President's death. In 
the church is the pew formerly used by him and his family in the old 
chapel. It is draped in black, and is preserved by the society as a sacred 
relic. 

The principal Catholic church is St. Patrick's, on G street northwest, 
which was dedicated in 1884. The original church, which stood on the 




ALL SOULS UNITARIAN CHURCH. 



292 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



site of the present one, was erected in 1804. 
St. Matthew's, St. Aloysius', and St. Dominic's 
are prominent churches. St. Augustine's, on 
Fifteenth street northwest, which is used by 
the colored people, is one of the largest of the 
thirteen Catholic churches of the city. 

The colored people are well supplied with 
churches of most of the denominations. Many 
of these churches have a large membership and 
are in a very flourishing condition. Some of 

the Baptist and Meth- 
odist church organiza- 
tions are very liberally 
sustained, and have 
large and handsome 
edifices. 

At the present time 
there is a colored 
population in Wash- 
ington of nearly 50,000. 
When the city was first 
taken possession of by 
the government the 
colored people num- 
bered about two thou- 
sand. They were 
mostly the slaves of 
the planters who owned the land on which the " Federal city" was located. 
For some years after this part of Maryland was designated as the District 
of Columbia the slaves were employed in agricultural labor, as a large 
number of the plantations remained as they were before the government 
occupied the district, and were cultivated with great care. In i860 the 
colored population had increased to 14,316, but the greater number were 
freed people. As soon as the Civil War began hundreds of slaves from 
all the adjacent country came to Washington, and in a short time the 
colored population was very large. The government employed many of 
the colored people in various kinds of work pertaining to the organiza- 
tion and equipment of the army, and they were found to be very useful 
as laborers. 

In 1 86 1 the question of the emancipation of the slaves within the 
District of Columbia was agitated, and on the 16th of December of that 




GARFIELD MEMORIAL CHURCH. 




ST. PATRICK'S CATHOLIC CHURCH. 



294 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



year a bill for that purpose was introduced in the Senate by Henry Wilson. 
The bill provided that all persons of African descent held to service in 
the District of Columbia should be liberated, and that slavery or involun 
tary servitude in the district should forever cease, except as a punishment 
for crime. The bill also provided that compensation should be given to 
the owners of the slaves, and the President was authorized to appoint 
three commissioners to make an appraisement of the value of all the 
slaves liberated. One million dollars were appropriated by the bill to pay 
for the slaves. When the bill was called up for action in the Senate it 
was debated for some time with a good deal of earnestness and met with 
considerable opposition, but finally the Senate passed it on April 3, 1862. 
A week later it was debated by the House of Representatives. The 
House passed it without much difficulty, and on April 16 it was signed by 
President Lincoln and became a law. The President, in announcing to 
Congress his signature to the bill, took occasion to say that he had "never 
doubted the constitutional power 'of Congress to abolish slavery in the 
District of Columbia." 

Commissioners were at once appointed to make the appraisement of 
the value of the slaves, and they engaged as an expert a well-known dealer 
in slaves from Baltimore, who was to fix the value of each slave liberated 
under the law. It is stated that "the slaveholders were required to pre- 
sent their petitions setting forth the names, ages, and estimated value of 
the slaves, with the nature of the title by which they were held. They 
were required to swear to the petitions, and to take and subscribe to what 
is known as the ' iron-clad oath' of allegiance and non-participation in 
the rebellion ; but these oaths were not to be received by the commis- 
sioners as conclusive proof of the facts sworn to. The commissioners 
were required to invite and receive testimony in regard to the loyalty 
of the claimants, the validity of their titles, and to the value of the 
slaves." 

The commissioners held their sessions in the old City Hall, now the 
District Court-House, and to this building "the claimants came with their 
troops of slaves" to be examined. Every day a large number of slaves 
were examined by the expert, under the supervision of the commissioners. 
The slaves were examined very carefully, and the expert even had most 
of them " open their mouths, in order that he might see their teeth. He 
considered sound teeth as an indication of sound health." Crowds of 
citizens were in attendance, and there was a good deal of merriment over 
the examinations. The liberated slaves were jubilant, and freely dis- 
played their characteristics, laughing and singing and making many funny 
speeches. The commissioners were in session about nine months, and 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



295 




ST. AUGUSTINE'S CATHOLIC CHURCH. 



disbursed during that time $914,942 as compensation to the slaveholders 
and for expenses. Compensation was allowed for 2989 slaves. There 
were one hundred and one slaves who were too old or too feeble to be 
worth anything, and compensation for them was refused. The highest 
sum allowed for a slave was $788, and the lowest $10.95. ^ n the latter 
case the slave was an infant. The largest slaveholder in the district had 
sixty-nine slaves, and he received $17,771 for them. 

In the act of emancipation there was a provision for the colonization 
in Hayti or Liberia of such of the liberated slaves as desired to emigrate 
to either of those countries, and the sum of $100,000 was appropriated to 
carry out the provision. Some effort was made towards colonization, but 
it was found that few of the freed people cared to leave the United States, 
and, therefore, this part of the act was of very little effect. 

Since 1862 the colored people of the District of Columbia have annu- 
ally celebrated " emancipation day," and the 16th of April is always made 
the occasion of great rejoicing. 




CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE NATIONAL CAPITAL AS IT IS TO-DAY— VARIOUS ATTRACTIVE FEATURES-THE 
IMPROVEMENTS TO BE MADE— NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF THE BEAUTIFUL AND 
ARTISTIC HOMES IN THE WEST END AND ELSEWHERE IN THE CITY— THE 
ENVIRONS— SOME INTERESTING LOCALITIES. 

jHE city of Washington, unlike many other cities of the country, 
continually grows in beauty as it grows in greatness. With 
the increase in population and wealth, and the advancement 
of all its material interests, the city is steadily assuming grace 
and attractiveness. The great change that has taken place everywhere 
within its borders during the past ten years astonishes those who recollect 
it in the war period, and even for some time after the war, and who con- 
trast it as it was then with the city of to-day, — the new and magnificent 
Washington, with its miles of smooth pavements on which carriage 
riding is delightful, its lovely small parks in every quarter filled in the 
spring and summer with rare plants and flowers, its elegant homes and 
business structures, and its appearance of thrift and enterprise. Thou- 
sands of people in different parts of the country who have not visited the 
city for a long time, and who remember with a feeling of repugnance its 
muddy, unpaved streets and generally dilapidated condition in years past, 
can hardly credit the current stories of the vast improvements that have 
been made. The improvements extended to all parts of Washington, and 
were so comprehensive and thorough that the transformation was com- 
plete. The national capital emerged from its stagnant, morbid condition, 
and became vigorous, progressive, and alert. Old forms and ideas were 
discarded, and there was developed a strong desire for all those things 
which make an admirable city, alike agreeable to its people and to 
strangers. Year by year much has been done in the line of progression, 
and those who now look on the city for the first time find it hard to 
believe that it ever was commonplace and unpleasant. In the days when 
it was struggling for an existence, and for a long while afterwards, the 
city had to meet the contempt and indifference of the people of the 
country, who seemed to have no feeling of pride in the progress and 
296 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



>97 




THE ANCIENT SEWARD MANSION. 



development of their seat of government, but, instead, had a feeling of 
jealousy, of anger and resentment, because it was located on the banks 
of the Potomac. Congress was always indifferent, and to this day has to 
be spurred by public opinion to give to the city the things it needs, and 
which should be given to it. But, in spite of all its drawbacks, the city 
has grown to be a capital of great beauty, and is constantly adding 
attractive features and acquiring fame throughout the land. It is the 
fashion now to admire Washington, and to talk and write of it in glowing 
terms. The tide of popular favor flows hitherward, and is likely so to 
flow for many a year. 

It is believed that within a very short time Washington will become 
the social and intellectual, as well as the political, centre of the United 



298 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




RESIDENCE OK JAMES A. GARFIELD WHILE A 
MEMBER OF CONGRESS. 



States. It possesses many advantages for persons of wealth and leisure, 
for those engaged in literary occupations, in art and in the professions, 
and every year these advantages are better appreciated and sought after. 
A social life not to be found elsewhere in America can be enjoyed even 
by men and women of moderate means. Interesting people from all 
parts of the country, — people of refinement, wide experience, and great 
ability, — who talk well, who have bright ideas, who are not fettered by 
local prejudice or illiberality, are constantly met with. The city is always 
full of people of national fame, — statesmen, jurists, authors, artists, scien- 
tists, great soldiers and sailors, explorers, inventors, — and in all the social 
gatherings they are to be seen and their society can be enjoyed. In this 
respect alone Washington is far in advance of all other cities of the 
country. A well-informed writer says : " Of course no one will be rash 
enough to assert that Washington must ever remain the national capital, 
but after the millions spent upon public buildings and improvements, and 
since annihilation of space by modern invention and discovery makes 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



299 



neighbors of all parts of the country, a change is not probable. There- 
fore, as years go by, Americans will look to Washington as the Mecca 
of thought in all phases. The bigger the republic grows the more 
necessary will a rallying point become. The North, South, East, and 
West will meet in Washington on common ground. Sectional egotism 
will disappear in the full light of national glory, and as to-day a trip to 
Europe is considered necessary to a liberal education, so, in a not distant 
to-morrow, a sojourn in Washington will be regarded as necessary to all 
who would have a thorough knowledge of this republic." 

Washington is a favorite winter resort, and even in summer it is 
preferable to many cities of the North, as of late years it has been found 
that the heat was not near as great as in New York, Philadelphia, and 
even Boston. The records of the Weather Bureau show this conclusively. 
The city in summer is a mass of foliage, every street having rows of trees 




RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM W. CORCORAN. 



300 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




RESIDENCE OF JEROME NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



which afford grateful shade, and at all times there are cooling breezes 
from the wooded hills which encircle the city. Newport and Saratoga in 
July and August are hotter and more uncomfortable than Washington, 
and this has been so thoroughly demonstrated that it is now quite the 
custom for many families who formerly visited those resorts to remain at 
home during the heated term, and make their vacation trips in the spring 
and fall. Washington is the only thoroughly sylvan city in the United 
States. Tree-planting is done by a regular, competent system, and no 
part of the city, not even the poorest quarter, is devoid of fine shade 
trees, which on many streets completely cover the walks. Rows of trees 
are planted on all new streets as soon as they are graded and open to 
travel, and the parking commission carefully watches the growth of the 
trees from month to month. In the parks, squares, and circles thousands 
of beautiful, aromatic plants and flowering shrubs are set out every spring 
by the government, and roses and all the favorite flowers are to be seen in 
great profusion in the public and private gardens. In the Capitol park 
and in the splendid gardens of the Department of Agriculture, from May 
to November, are to be found the choicest floral productions, embracing 
many varieties of foreign origin seldom, if ever, seen elsewhere in the 
country. All the parks and gardens are open to the public every day, 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 

comfortable seats are provided, and plenty of fountains supply pun. 
drinking water. 

At an early day a great park with nearly three thousand acres of land 
is to be laid out along the banks of the picturesque Rock creek, which 
flows north of the city. Massachusetts avenue will be extended across 
the creek, and will, doubtless, be lined with fine houses, and, beginning 
north of the extension, the park will be laid out for three miles. Rock 
creek is a beautiful stream. It winds among the wooded hills of the 
northern part of the District of Columbia, and has a great deal of 
romantic scenery. In the course of a few years the Rock creek park will 
be one of the loveliest and most attractive pleasure places to be found in 
the world. 

There will also be another park of extensive area situated partly along 
the Potomac. The Potomac flats or marshes, which have been exceed- 
ingly unpleasant to look at and a great breeding-place for malaria, are 
being rapidly improved by the government, and ere long will be trans- 
formed into a beautiful park, with drives along the river bank for two 
miles. It is likely that when the improvement of the flats is completed 
the extensive grounds of the arsenal at Greenleaf's Point, where the 
waters of the Anacostia and Potomac mingle, will be given up for park 
purposes, and the quarters of the army removed to another location. If 
this is done, no city in the world will have such a public resort as this 
park along the Potomac. From Greenleaf's Point there is a charming, 




^ 



RESIDENCE OF ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




RESIDENCE OF STILSON HUTCHINS. 



far-reaching view. The course of the river can be traced for miles and 
miles, and on the sides come plainly in the range of vision the luxuriant 
lands of Maryland and Virginia, dotted here and there with farm-houses 
and villas. The park will include the grounds of the Washington Monu- 
ment and the grounds of the mall, and, taken together, will enable one to 
drive or walk for hours on shaded roads, past lawns and gardens, with a 
background of river and wooded hills, and all without leaving the central 
part of the city very far behind. The outlook then from the south 
windows of the White House will be even more pleasing than it is at 
present, as it will embrace that portion of the park laid out on the river 
bank. 

It has been very cleverly said, " Think of the transformation that 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



303 



Washington has undergone since the war! To-day it is the only well- 
paved city in this country. So clean and smooth are its streets that 
pedestrians walk on their asphalt in preference to the brick or stone side- 
walks. Bicycles abound in consequence, and the lovers of driving and 
riding heave a sigh of relief at the absence of the noise, holes, and 
cobblestones peculiar to our great towns, hideous facts that make exercise 
on wheels or in the saddle an agony instead of a pleasure. Magnificent 
private dwellings line the West End of the capital ; still better houses are 
about to be built. At last it begins to look as though the student, the 
artist, the statesman, the retired trader, the man and woman of the world 
may find a place on this continent where escape from the din of money- 
grabbing is possible, where culture can shake hands with genius in all 
forms, where merit, not money or grandfathers, is the entree to society, 
where persons of leisure may hobnob with other persons of leisure and 
not be regarded as public nuisances, and where the stock market is not 
the chief end of man. If ever a people needed to escape from themselves 
and cultivate repose it is ourselves. If ever this repose is acquired it will 
be in Washington. So convinced have some Americans become of these 
probabilities as to have metamorphosed the national capital. People of 




RESIDENCE OF MRS. M. T. DAHLGREN. 



304 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




RESIDENCE OF GENERAL ANDERSON. 



fortune are making it their home, in order to 
enjoy life under the most favorable circum- I*. ;: 

stances. For similar reasons people of mod- 
erate and settled incomes are lured there also. Comparative poverty is 
no badge of disgrace where ladies and gentlemen serve the government 
for moderate salaries, where retired army and navy officers rank above 
the wealthiest of nouveaux riches while living modestly on half pay." 

Taxation is light in Washington as compared with most cities of its 
size, particularly those of the West. Real estate is taxed $1.50 per $100. 
House rents are much lower than in New York and other large cities. 
Though the climate is by no means perfect, the winter is a great deal 
milder than in the Northern cities, and the spring is a month earlier. 
The splendid public markets, five in number, all occupying capacious 
brick buildings constructed with every convenience, are without a rival in 
the country. They are filled to overflowing with good marketing. The 
meats are the very best, and they are cheaper than in New York, and fish, 
game, vegetables, and fruits are to be had in profusion at reasonable 
prices. Washington is situated in the centre of one of the finest agricul- 
tural districts in the United States. More wheat to the acre can be raised 
in this vicinity than in any Western state, and all kinds of vegetables 
grow in these fertile lands with remarkable exuberance. The shad and 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



305 




RESIDENCE OF LIEUT. W. H. EMORY. 



herring caught in the Potomac within sight of the city are noted for their 
lusciousness. Forty miles down the river are the famous ducking shores, 
where from November to April vast numbers of canvas-backs, black- and 
red-heads, and whistle-wings feed on the great beds of wild celery which 
there abound. The forests of Virginia, within a few miles of Washington, 
across the Potomac, are filled in the autumn with wild turkeys, which are 
shot by thousands for the city markets, and the bottom-lands along the 
river supply great quantities of quail and other game birds. On the 
upper Potomac the fishing cannot be excelled. No large city is so 
favored in this respect, and, in consequence, the food supplies are plentiful 
and cheap. 



306 



7 HE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




THE BLAINE MANSION. 



The libraries and museums of the city 
afford advantages to students and profes- 
sional men and women which few cities 
can present. The wonderfully compre- 
hensive National Library, with its half 
million of books upon all subjects, is 
open to the public daily, and every facility is given to those who desire to 
use the valuable literary and historical collections. Besides this library 
there are great collections of books on special subjects in all the govern- 
ment departments, and most of these can be freely used by the public. 
The National Museum opens its doors to every one, and students of 
natural history have the privilege of inspecting one of the finest and 
largest collections of natural and industrial products to be found in the 
world. The museum of agriculture and of medical objects, the museums 
of war and naval implements, the museum of the signal office, are all 
admirably arranged and very complete for purposes of study and research. 
The Corcoran Gallery of Art has the only complete set of casts of antique 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



307 



statuary in the United States, and has also many famous original statues 
and paintings. The schools and colleges of the city are equal to any. 
A writer says, " Comparatively low rents, good climate, — as climates go, 
— good markets, good roads, good libraries, good company. What other 
American city can show as good a record ?" 

The improvement of what is known as the West End is one of the 
astonishing features of the sudden and grand development of Washington. 
This extensive region, comprising an area of about five miles, now covered 
with costly and beautiful residences, was but a few years ago only hillocks 
and swamps, which could be had almost for the asking. Acres and acres 
of it were held by people who despaired of ever disposing of their lands. 
No one dreamed that it would eventually contain the finest mansions in 
the city, and be held at a large sum per foot. Rude cabins, inhabited by 
colored people, dotted the region here and there, but there were no 
graded streets or marks of improvement. In the spring of 1872 there 
was a " boom" in real estate, caused by the beginning of the vast improve- 
ments under the direction of the Board, of Public Works, at the head of 
which was Governor Shepherd. Syndicates were organized by speculators 




RESIDENCE OF JUSTICE CHARLES P. JAMES. 



3 o8 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



to obtain control of all the desirable properties in the city. One known 
as the "California Syndicate" purchased for a small sum squares and large 
blocks of land in the neighborhood of what is now Dupont Circle ; another 
purchased land around Iowa Circle ; and others acquired tracts in other 
sections of the West End. Much of the land was obtained for ten, 
twenty, and twenty-five cents per foot, and in no case was more than 
seventy-five cents per foot paid, and this was for land that had been 
somewhat improved. The square on which the residence of the English 
legation is now located was purchased by the speculators for thirty-five 
cents per foot, and shortly afterwards sold to the English government for 
fifty cents. 

Shepherd began at once to improve the West End. The hills were 
cut down, and the earth used to fill in the swamps. Streets and avenues 
were laid out, and everything necessary was done to make the region a 
desirable part of the city for the residences of wealthy people. When 




RESIDENCE OF BELDEN NOBLE. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



309 




RESIDENCE OF MRS. F. H. PLUMMER. 



the English government, in 1875, 

erected its splendid legation resi- 
dence a great impetus was given 

to building in the West End, and, 

in rapid succession, fine mansions 

were erected over its territory. 

The price of land advanced con- 
stantly. One dollar per foot was 

demanded, then two dollars, then 

three, and at present very little of 

this section can be bought for less 

than five dollars, and some of it is 

held at a much higher price. The 

speculators who first invested in 

these waste lands realized great 

profits, and others who afterwards 

took advantage of the " boom" made fortunes by shrewd purchases. 
During the past five years large sums have been invested by Northern 

capitalists in the West End, and also in other quarters of the city, as it is 

believed that the future of the national capital is assured, and that it 

will within a short period become a 
very large and flourishing city. The 
population increases rapidly, because 
the attractions of the city appeal not 
only to politicians and those connected 
with the government, but to people of 
culture and refinement who find in it 
congenial surroundings and associa- 
tions. The improvement of the city 
by the erection of beautiful houses and 
business edifices goes on steadily, and 
every year there are many additions to 
the number. It is a well-known fact 
that in no other city of the United 
States can there be seen such a great 
variety of elegant, unique residences 
and so little sameness and monotony 
in architecture as Washington displays 
on every prominent street and avenue. 
If the desire for diversity and novelty 
residence of samuel shellabarger. prevailing at present is maintained 




3io 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



with the city's growth and expansion, it will eventually have an extensive 
fame as a capital of singularly pleasing and attractive architecture. 

Before the era of improvement Washington had a number of stately 
mansions, mostly constructed after the Southern style, but in general its 
architecture, both in the resident and business sections, was commonplace 
and quite often very mean. It is related of the first " Queen Anne" house 
erected in the city that " it was for a commodore who knew more of ships 
and guns than of houses, and so the architects were told to give their 
fancy rein, and work out some new and pleasing structure without 
bothering the future occupant with details. The house was built, and 
did not please the conservative Washington of that day. The owner 
was influenced by the criticisms of his neighbors, and was much troubled 
and dispirited. He had been imposed upon by some new-fangled thing 
which was laughed at, and he knew not whether to live in it or abandon 
it. The momentous question was settled by visiting Boston friends who 
pronounced the house 'quite too lovely for anything.' That was sufficient. 
If Boston approved, who dare dispute? The stern face of the commodore 
relaxed, and the architects were congratulated. What might have been 
the character of new Washington if that first ' Queen Anne' had remained 
under the seal of condemnation, it is distressing to contemplate." 







KESIDENCE OK GARDNER G. HUKBARD. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



311 




RESIDENCES OF GENERAL DRUM AND COMMODORE ENGLISH. 



While the " Queen Anne" style is seen to a considerable extent in the 
fashionable quarter and elsewhere, there are also many other styles, or 
artistic combinations, embracing numerous forms of the antique and 
mediaeval, most of which make very attractive houses. Some of the 
latest houses erected have a good deal of ornamentation produced by 
means of brick-work. Bricks are constructed for the purpose after special 
designs. Large bricks, fan-shaped, octagonal, and in other forms, are set 
in the walls and in the arches over the windows and doors, giving variety 
and richness, and some very fine effects are produced in this way. Most 
of the houses, large or small, in the city are constructed of brick. There 
are many brickyards in this vicinity, and a superior sort of brick is made 
in them, the clay of the region being particularly adapted to brickmaking. 
The brick has a bright red color, very pleasing to the eye. There is some 
use of brownstone, sandstone, and the peculiar mottled greenstone found 



312 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




RESIDENCE OF EX-SENATUR STEWART, 
KNOWN AS " STEWART CASTLE." 



in Pennsylva- 
nia, but the ma- 
jority of the 
new houses are 
of brick. Mar- 
ble is seldom 
used. 

Several ele- 
gant houses 
have lately been 
con struc ted 
after the Mexi- 
can style. These 
are two stories 
in height, and 
have a large 
interior court, 
with balconies 
} aroundthe 

court, into which the rooms in the second story 
open. It is a rather unique style of architecture 
for this latitude, but seems to be growing in 
favor. A few years ago there was a decided tendency to build large, 
massive houses, but of late smaller houses are built even by the wealthiest 
people. These small houses are given every form of ornament considered 
to be proper and tasteful, and many of them are notable for exquisite 
beauty. 

There is very little doubt that the West End and all the contiguous 
territory, which has been selected by common consent for the residences 
of wealthy and fashionable people, will eventually become a very mag- 
nificent section. A vast sum has already been expended upon it, and on 
all its streets and avenues there are scores of artistic and costly houses, 
and new ones are being erected every season. It has a good deal of land 
yet to be improved, and can accommodate many more houses of the 
better sort, and these houses, there is every reason to believe, will, before 
ten years have rolled away, cover every available space of the extensive 
region. In that case, Washington can claim one of the grandest resident 
sections in the world, and one that will have a distinctive grandeur. The 
seal of fashion has been deeply set on this section, and there is no possi- 
bility that it will ever be less fashionable than it is at present. Other 
parts of the city may become in time noted for elegant residences, as, for 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



3*3 



instance, a certain portion of Capitol Hill, 
which has already begun to have nu- 
merous beautiful homes, and which is 
preferred by some for various reasons ; 
but, however large may be the growth 
and development elsewhefe in this way, 
the West End is likely to retain its pre- 
eminence as the quarter for the world of 
wealth and fashion, whose votaries now 
so numerously inhabit its hundreds of 
splendid mansions. 

The West End has many broad streets 
and avenues all paved with concrete, and 
within the section are the most prominent 
public squares and circles adorned with 

statues of America's distinguished soldiers. Connecticut avenue, which 
extends from Lafayette Park to the northern limits of the city, is the 
main thoroughfare, and has a roadway one hundred and thirty feet wide. 




RESIDENCE OF GEORGE BANCROFT. 




RESIDENCE OF EX-SENATOR GEORGE H. PENDLETON. 



314 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




RESIDENCE OF SENATOR J. DONALD CAMERON. 



Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont avenues also 
traverse the section. From Dupont Circle, which may be said to bound 
the extreme western part of the West End, ten streets and avenues 
diverge, and from the other circles and squares there are numerous 
diverging thoroughfares. The streets are laid out at right angles, as they 
are in all the other parts of the city, and the avenues cross them diag- 
onally. Where the streets and avenues intersect are triangular lots, 
which permit of the erection of oddly-shaped houses. On many of these 
triangles one will see some of the most beautiful forms of all the West 
End architecture — quaint, even fantastic structures, which give a measure- 
less amount of picturesqueness to the section. 

The illustrations presented in this chapter include many of the notable 
residences of the West End and of other localities. The leading styles 
of architecture are given. It is not proposed to describe the residences, 
as the illustrations clearly show the architectural designs, and descriptions 
seem unnecessary. 

There are numerous houses in Washington of historical interest. On 
Fifteenth and one-half street (Lafayette Square) is the ancient house 
occupied by Secretary of State William H. Seward at the time the 
attempt on his life was made by Payne, one of the conspirators in the 
Lincoln assassination. Previous to its occupancy by Secretary Seward 
it had been used as a club-house for some time, and in front of it General 
Daniel E. Sickles shot and killed Philip Barton Key as he stepped from 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



315 



its door one evening in 1859. Sickles was tried for murder in the District 
Court-House and acquitted. 

The residence now owned and occupied by William W. Corcoran, at 
the corner of H and Seventeenth streets, fronting Lafayette Park, was 
occupied by Daniel Webster for a number of years. At the rear of the 
house is a large garden containing a fine collection of plants and fruit- 
trees. 

During most of the time that the lamented President Garfield was 
a member of Congress he resided in the house at the corner of I and 
Thirteenth streets, near Franklin Park. It is a plain brick structure. 

The Van Ness mansion, at the foot of Seventeenth street, near the 
Potomac river, is now fast going to ruin. It was designed and con- 
structed by Latrobe three-quarters of a century ago, and was a famous 
house in the early years of the city. Within its walls there have been 
many brilliant assemblages. General John P. Van Ness was one of the 
notable men of Washington, and his wife, Marcia Burns Van Ness, was a 
leader in society for many years. The cabin of David Burns, the father 
of Mrs. Van Ness, is also standing near the Van Ness mansion, but is in 
the last stages of decay. 




RESIDENCE OF GENERAL M. C. MEIGS. 



316 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 




RESIDENCE OF CHARLES T. MURRAY. 



On New York avenue, at the corner of Eighteenth street, is the 
ancient Octagon House, erected in 1798 by Colonel John Tayloe, a 
wealthy Virginia planter who acquired a large amount of property in 
Washington, and resided in the city for a number of years. His wife was 
the daughter of Governor Ogle, of Maryland. Tayloe had an income of 
about $80,000 a year, one-half of which he expended in the purchase of 
land in the District of Columbia. He was considered the wealthiest man 
in the district. He died in the Octagon House in 1828, and his widow 
died in 1855. 

The Duddington Manor-House, on North Carolina avenue (Capitol 
Hill), once the residence of Daniel Carroll, still remains as a memento of 
the past age. The descendants of Carroll have occupied the house many 
years. It is a stately building, arranged somewhat like the old mansions 
of England. Extensive grounds covered with noble trees surround the 
house. 

The fine, spacious mansion erected in 1805 by Joel Barlow, the poet, 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



317 



politician, and wealthy merchant, is standing on Kalorama Hill, just 
beyond the northern boundary of Washington. Barlow lived here until 
he went abroad as Minister to France. He never returned to America, 
and his mansion for a time was occupied by the family of Commodore 
Decatur. On the grounds is a tomb in which reposed the remains of 
Decatur until they were removed to Philadelphia in 1846. An illus- 
tration of the mansion is given on page 45. 

On Meridian Hill, Joaquin Miller has erected a log cabin for his 
residence. Here the poet of the Sierras performs his literary work and 
enjoys life after his own fashion. From Meridian Hill a charming view 
of the city of Washington can be obtained. 

Georgetown has a number of old mansions once occupied by families 
prominent in the early years of the district. Most of these mansions 
have spacious grounds filled with majestic trees and flowering plants. 
The town in the first part of the century was noted for its wealthy, 
aristocratic families, who lived gayly and luxuriously " in fine old English 
style." The opulent planters of the adjacent region usually spent the 
winter in the town, and balls, parties, and dinners were given frequently 




RESIDENCE OF D. R. MCKEE. 



3i8 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



through the season. The annual races in the vicinity of Georgetown 
were always attended by the prominent people. An English traveller 
wrote, in 1803, as follows: "In November in each year there are horse- 
races at the capital of America. I happened to arrive just at this time, 
on horseback, at Georgetown, which is about two miles from the race- 
oround, and at an early hour proceeded to the turf. Though the day 
was raw, cold, and threatening to rain or snow, there were abundance 
of ladies decorated as if for a ball. In this year Congress was summoned 
early by President Jefferson upon the contemplated purchase of Louisiana. 
Many scores of American legislators, who are allowed six dollars a day 
besides their travelling expenses, went on foot from the Capitol, abo've 
four English miles, to attend the sport; nay, it is an indisputable fact 
that the houses of Congress adjourned at an early hour to indulge the 
members for this purpose. It rained during the races, and thus the law- 
makers of the country were driven into the booths, and thereby compelled 
to eat and pay for what was there called a dinner, while their contem- 
plated meal remained untouched at their respective boarding-houses." 

Opposite Georgetown, in the Potomac river, is Analostan Island, where 
General John Mason and his descendants resided for more than half a 
century. The island is about seventy acres in extent, and for some years 




ESIDENCES OF MRS. B. B. KRKNCII AND W. S. LINCOLN. 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



319 




RESIDENCE OF NATHANIEL WILSON. 



has been used as a pleasure resort. General Mason's house, which was 
erected in the latter part of the eighteenth century, was destroyed during 
the Civil War. It was situated on an eminence fifty feet above the river, 
and commanded a charming view of Washington and all the surrounding 
country. In his "Historical Sketches," published in 1830, Jonathan 
Elliot says that "the house, % which you approach through a fine avenue 
of trees, is extensive, with a number of convenient buildings attached. 
Its interior is finished with taste and in a costly style. The garden is 
kept in fine order; ornamental trees, shrubs, and rare plants are a source 
of attraction to the botanist, whilst the kitchen garden affords excellent 
roots of the choicest varieties. The south side of the island is substan- 
tially walled and dotted with neat white cottages for servants." 

General Mason was famed for his profuse hospitality, and his pictu- 
resque island was constantly visited by the select society of Washington 
and Georgetown. He entertained many distinguished Europeans. He 
was an ardent agriculturalist, and always kept the island in a high state 
of cultivation. Some cotton was raised, and, among other things, a 
species of maize was cultivated, the deep purple leaves of which were 



320 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



y. % 




RESIDENCE OF DAVID FERGUSON. 



used as a dye. Some of the seeds of this maize were carried from the 
island to France and presented to the Empress Josephine, " who sowed 
them with her own hand in the garden of Malmaison, where they gave a 
luxuriant produce." 

In 1816 a little book was published in Paris with this title : "A Choro- 
graphical and Statistical description of the District of Columbia, the Seat 
of the General Government of the United States." The book was written 
by D. B. Warden, and dedicated to Mrs. George Washington Parke Custis. 
The author says in the preface that he had occupied his leisure hours at 
Washington " in examining the interesting objects of that magnificent 
situation," and that he thought " a publication of this kind is now called 
for not only by citizens of the United States, but also by foreigners, who, 
from motives of curiosity or interest, seek minute information concerning 
the present state of the American metropolis." Warden's book was the 
first ever written about the District of Columbia, and, although it does not 
give much " minute information" of value at this time, it has some inter- 
esting statements. 

Warden says : " About a mile beyond Georgetown, on the Potomac 
river, there is a cannon foundry belonging to Mr. Foxhall, a native of 
England, the machinery of which was erected by a Scotsman of the 
name of Glasgow. There are two boring-mills situated near each other. 
In one, five cannons are bored at the same time ; in the other, three. The 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



321 



streams which move the machinery are small, but the water falls to great 
advantage over an overshot wheel of twenty-nine feet in diameter. By 
the aid of dams, which receive rain water, there is a constant supply 
during the summer. About thirty workmen are employed, chiefly emi- 
grants from Europe. Foremen have two dollars; moulders, one dollar 
and a half; and common workmen, two-thirds of a dollar per day. The 
iron ore, of an excellent quality, is brought from the banks of the 
Potomac, near Harper's Ferry. It is rare that a gun bursts in firing it 
with a double charge. A cannon was lately cast at this foundry, of a 
hundred pound ball, to which was given the name of Columbiad. It 
requires two days to make a cannon, and two to bore it. The price is 
fifty pounds currency per ton. The profits of this establishment are very 
considerable." 

In describing Georgetown, Warden states that " the houses, chiefly of 
brick, have a neat appearance. Several were built before the streets were 




JOAQUIN MILLER'S LOG CABIN ON MERIDIAN HILL. 
21 



322 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



formed, which gave rise to an observation from a French lady, that 
Georgetown had houses without streets, and Washington streets without 
houses." It is stated that there were two bridges over Rock creek, which 
divides Georgetown from Washington, and that the one nearest to its 
mouth had three arches, and was a hundred and thirty-five feet in length 
and thirty-six feet in breadth. The other, at a distance of six hundred 
and fifty yards, was supported by piles two hundred and eighty feet 
long and eighteen feet wide. There was a daily communication between 
Georgetown and Alexandria by means of a packet-boat. 

About five miles from Washington is the quaint, old-fashioned town 
of Bladensburg, Maryland, which was founded in 1750, and named after 
Thomas Bladen, who was governor of Maryland in 1742. Before the 
Revolutionary war it had considerable commerce, and many vessels laden 
with tobacco sailed from its wharves down the Anacostia. For a number 
of years it was a fashionable summer resort, as it had a mineral spring 
reputed to be efficacious in the cure of numerous diseases, and throngs 
of people went to drink of the water. Near the town the British troops 
defeated the Americans, August 24, 18 14, and then invaded Washington. 
During the first half of the century Bladensburg was noted as a duelling 
ground, and on its fields many prominent men have fought to satisfy their 
" honor." The memorable duel between Commodore Decatur and Com- 
modore Barron took place near the ancient cemetery of the town, on 
March 22, 1820. Decatur was fatally wounded, and died that night at 
his residence in Washington. For nearly thirty years no duels have been 
fought in this locality. The old town long since lost its commerce, its 
thrift and enterprise. It has a picturesque location, and is one of the 
pleasant environs of Washington. 




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References to Map of Washington. 



i. The Capitol. 

2. White House. 

3. Department of State. 

4. Treasury Department. 

5. War Department. 

6. Navy Department. 

7. Patent Office 

8. Post-Office Department. 

9. Department of Justice. 

10. Department of Agriculture. 

11. Naval Observatory. 

12. United States Arsenal. 

13. Navy Yard. 

14. Marine Corps Barracks. 

15. District Court-House. 

16. District Jail. 

17. City Asylum. 

18. Mount Vernon Square. 

19. Smithsonian Institution. 

20. Washington Monument. 
2 1 . Washington Circle. 

22. Statue of Washington. 

23. Lafayette Park. 

24. Corcoran Gallery of Art. 



25. National Botanical Garden. 

26. Congressional Cemetery. 

27. Naval Hospital. 

28. Lincoln Park. 

29. Rawlins Square. 

30. Scott Square. 

31. Government Printing-Office. 

32. Greene Square. 

33. Naval Monument. 

34. Thomas Circle. 

35. Judiciary Square. 

36. McPherson Square. 

37. Dupont Circle. 

38. Iowa Circle. 

39. Government Hospital for Insane. 

40. Center Market. 

41. Howard University. 

42. National Deaf-Mute College. 

43. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. 

44. New Pension Building. 

45. Army Medical Museum. 

46. National Museum. 

47. Potomac River Park, 



324 



L'ENFANTS PLAN OF WASHINGTON. 




HE original plan of the city of Washington, as drawn by Pierre 
Charles L'Enfant in 1791, is presented on the preceding page. 
For particulars in reference to L'Enfant, see page 33. 

" Observations explanatory of the plan" were made by 
L'Enfant, as follows : 

" I. The positions for the different grand edifices and for the several 
grand squares or areas of different shapes, as they are laid down, were 
first determined on the most advantageous ground, commanding the most 
extensive prospects and the better susceptible of such improvements as 
the various intents of the several objects may require. 

" II. Lines or avenues of direct communications have been devised to 
connect the separate and most distant objects with the principal, and to 
preserve through the whole a reciprocity of sight at the same time. 
Attention has been paid to the passing of those leading avenues over the 
most favorable ground for prospect and convenience. 

" III. North and South lines, intersected by others running due East 
and West, make the distribution of the city into streets, squares, etc., and 
those lines have been so combined as to meet at certain given points with 
those divergent avenues, so as to form on the spaces first determined the 
different squares and areas, which are all proportional in magnitude to the 
number of avenues leading to them. 

" Breadth of the streets. Every grand transverse avenue, and every 
principal divergent one, such as the communication from the President's 
House to the Congress House, etc., are 160 feet in breadth, and are thus 
divided : 10 feet of pavement on each side ; 30 feet of gravel walk, planted 
with trees, on each side ; 80 feet in the middle for carriage way. The 
other streets are of the following dimensions, viz. : those leading to public 
buildings or markets, 130 feet; others, no and 90 feet. 

" In order to execute the above plan, Mr. Ellicott drew a true merid- 
ianal line by celestial observation, which passes through the area intended 
326 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



327 



for the Congress House ; this line he crossed by another due East and 
West, which passes through the same area. These lines were accurately 
measured, and made the bases on which the whole plan was executed. 
He ran all the lines by a transit instrument, and determined the acute 
angles by actual measurement, and left nothing to the uncertainty of the 
compass." 

L'Enfant noted the following references to sites, designated on the 
plan by letters : 

" A. The equestrian figure of George Washington, a monument voted, 
in 1783, by the late Continental Congress. 

" B. An historic column. Also intended for a mile or itinerary column, 
from whose station (a mile from the Federal House) all distances of places 
through the continent are to be calculated. 

" C. A naval itinerary column, proposed to be erected to celebrate the 
first rise of a Navy, and to stand a ready monument to consecrate its 
progress and achievements. 

" D. This site is for a church intended for national purposes, such as 
public prayer, thanksgivings, funeral orations, etc., and assigned to the 
special use of no particular sect or denomination, but equally open to all. 
It will be likewise shelter for such monuments as were voted by the late 
Continental Congress for those heroes who fell in the cause of liberty, 
and for such others as may hereafter be decreed by the voice of a grateful 
nation. 

" E. Five grand fountains, intended with a constant spout of water. 
There are within the limits of the city above 25 good springs of excellent 
water, abundantly supplied in the dryest season of the year. 

" F. Grand cascade formed of the water from the sources of the Tiber. 

" G. Public walk, being a square of 1200 feet, through which carriages 
may ascend to the upper square of the Federal House. 

" H. Grand avenue, 400 feet in width, and about one mile in length, 
bordered with gardens, ending in a slope from the houses on each side. 
This avenue leads to the monument, A, and connects with the 

" I. President's Park and the 

" K. Well-improved field, being a part of the walk from the President's 
House, of about 1800 feet in breadth and three-fourths of a mile in 
length. 

" L. Around this square and all along the 

" M. Avenue from the two bridges to the Federal House the pavement 
on each side will pass under an arched way, under whose cover shops 
will be most conveniently and agreeably situated. This street is 160 feet 
in breadth and a mile long." 



328 



THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. 



L'Enfant says, " The squares colored yellow, being fifteen in number, 
are proposed to be divided among the several states in the Union, for each 
of them to improve or subscribe a sum additional to the value of the land 
for that purpose, and the improvements around the squares to be com- 
pleted in a limited time. The centre of each square will admit of statues, 
columns, obelisks, or any other ornaments such as the different states 
may choose to erect to perpetuate not only the memory of such indi- 
viduals whose counsels or military achievements were conspicuous in 
giving liberty and independence to this country, but also those whose 
usefulness hath rendered them worthy of general imitation to invite the 
youth of succeeding generations to tread in the paths of those sages or 
heroes whom their country has thought proper to celebrate. The situation 
of these squares is such that they are the most advantageously and recip- 
rocally seen from each other, and as equally distributed over the whole 
city district, and connected by spacious avenues round the grand Federal 
improvements, and as contiguous to them and at the same time as equally 
distant from each other as circumstances would admit. The settlements 
round these squares must soon become connected. This mode of taking 
possession of and improving the whole district at first must leave to pos- 
terity a grand idea of the patriotic interest which promoted it. 

"The squares colored red are intended for the use of all religious 
denominations, on which they are to erect places of worship, and are 
proposed to be allotted to them in the manner as those colored yellow to 
the different states of the Union, but no burying-ground will be admitted 
within the limits of the city, an appropriation being intended for that 
purpose without. There are a number of squares or areas unappro- 
priated, and in situations proper for colleges and academies, and of which 
every society whose object is national may be accommodated. 

" Every lot deep-colored red, with green plots, designates some of the 
situations which command the most agreeable prospects, and which are 
the best calculated for spacious houses and gardens, such as may accom- 
modate foreign ministers, etc. 

" Every house in the city will stand square on the streets, and every 
lot, even those of the divergent avenues, will run square with their fronts, 
which on the most acute angle will not measure less than fifty-six feet, 
and many will be above one hundred and forty feet." 

The figures on the plan refer to the sites for the public buildings, and 
to certain squares, etc., concerning which some details were given. 



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NATIONAL DRILL AND ENCAMPMENT. 



Camp George Washington, Washington, D. C. 

May 23D to 30TH, 1887. 



Gen. 0. C. AUGUR, U. S. A., 

Commandant of Camp . 



AIDES. 

Gen. James. A. Carnahan. Col. H. Kyd Douglas, of Md. Col. C. W. Montgomery, of O. 

Gen. H. H. Wright, of la. Capt. Sam Carnes. of Tenn. Capt. Lewis V. Clarke, of Ala. 

Gen. Johnston Jones, of N. C. Capt. C. A. Sinclair of St. L. Lieut. Col. E. H. Wardwell, Md. 
Col. P. Lacey Stoddard, of Pa. Maj. W. T. McGurrin, of Mich. Lieut. Eoger D. Williams, Ken. 
Col. Charles King, of Wis. Maj. Wm. H. Sheffield, of Ala. Medical Director Dr. David W. 

Yandell, Louisville, Ky. 

JUDGES. 

Col. H. M. Black, U. S. A., Chairman. 



Capt. E. C. Woodruff, Twelfth Infantry. 
Capt. J. T. Haskell, Twenty-third Infantry. 
Capt. J. M. Lancaster, Third Artillery. 
First Lieut. Constantine Chase, Third Art'y. 
First Lieut. Fred A. Smith, Twelfth Infantry. 



First Lieut. B. H. Randolph, Third Artillery. 

First Lieut. R. K. Evans, Adjutant, Twelfth Inf. 

First Lieut. W. O. Clark, Twelfth Infantry, and 
in connection with the rifle competition, First 
Lieut. S.'E. Allen, Fifth Artillery. 



COMMITTEES OF REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS. 

Hon. S. E. Wheatley, Chairman. 
Gen. Albert Ordway, Vice-Chairman . T. C. DeLeon, Managing Secretary. 

Charles S. Bradley, Treasurer. 



STANDING COMMITTEES. 



EXECUTIVE. 
Hon. S. E. Wheatley, 

Chairman. 
General Albert Ordway. 
Capt. James E. Wangh. 
Hon. A. A. Wilson. 
Wm. A. Gordon, Esq. 
Thos. E. Waggaman, Esq. 
C. C. Duncanson, Esq. 
Geo. T. Dunlop. Esq. 
Maj. Jas. P. Willett. 



FINANCE. 
Thos. E. Waggaman, Esq., 

Chairman. 
Jas. L. Norris, Esq. 
Chas. S. Bradley, Esq. 
M. M. Parker, Esq. 
J. W. Boteler, Esq. 
C. W. Thorn, Esq. 



RULES, JUDQES, PRIZES. 
Gen. Albeet Oedway, 

Chairman. 
Capt. Geo. E. Lemon. 
Maj. H. L. Cranford. 
Hon. Jeff. Chandler. 
Dr. Smith Townshend. 
Capt, Thos. J. Luttrell. 



332 



ADVERTISING, ETC. 

Hon. E. W. Fox, 

Chairman. 
Kobt. A. Parke, Esq. 
George Gibson, Esq. 
0. G. Staples, Esq. 
John Key worth, Esq. 
Chas. T. Murray, Esq; 



TRANSPORTATION, ETO. 



George Pearson, Esq., 

Chairman. 
H. H. Carter, Esq. 
Jas. L Taylor. Esq. 
Jas. H. Marr, Esq. 
Jno. F. Waggaman, Esq. 
A. M. Lothrop, Esq. 



GROUNDS, CONSTRUCTION, AC. 
Hon. A. A. Wilson, 

Chairman. 
Will Wheatley, Esq. 
P. H. Christman, Esq. 
Maj. J. P. Willett. 
C. C. Duncanson, Esq. 
Osceola C. Green, Esq. 



ADVISORY MEMBERS. 

E. P. Wilson. Esq., 

<?. P. Agt. Chicago & N. W R.R. 
H. Collbran, Esq., 
O. P. d- T. Agt. Queen <t- Crescent R.R. 

B. W. Wrenn. Esq., 

G. P. & F. Agt. Va., Term. & Ga. Air L. 

C. K. Lord, Esq. , 

G. P. Agt. B. & 0. R.R. 

H. W. Fuller, Esq., 

G. P. Agt. Ches. Js Ohio R.R. 



RECEPTION COMMITTEE. 



Jas. L. Norris, 
Geo. E. Lemon, 
Dr. A. M. Baldwin, 
Jas. L. Barbour, 
M. J. Adler, 
Eob't A. Parke, 
M. W. Beveridge, 
Chas. S. Bradley, 
Eppa Hunton, 
Benj. Charlton, 
P. A. Christnian, 
Jeff. Chandler, 
Wm. E. Clarke, 
Dr. D. B. Clark, 
Geo. W. Cochran, 
H. L. Cranford, 
J. H. Clarke, 
E. L. Plum, 
E. G. Davis, 
J. Maury Dove, 
John P. Franklin, 
George Gibson. 
O. C. Green, 
Edwin Harris, 



Charles Shaefer, 
George W. Harvey, 
Austin Herr, 
Christian Heurich, 

E. C. Hewitt, 

F. Hollingshead, 
W. B. Hopkins, 
John B. Scott. 
Stilson Hutchins, 
P. H. Hill, 
Crosby S. Noyes, 
E. P. Cross, 
Charles A. James, 

E. L. Johnson, 
Hallet Kilbourn, 
John G. Judd, 
John Key worth, 
J. Blake Kendall, 

F. M. Detweiler, 
Thomas J. Luttrel, 
A. Lisner, 

Dr. Frank T. Howe, 
D. Loughran, 
George A. Mcllhenny, 



B. W. McPherson, 
John H. Magruder, 
James H. Marr, 
J. A. Milburn, 
W. B. Moses, 
Capt. Jas. F. Oyster, 
Samuel C. Palmer, 
M. M. Parker, 
Jas. L. Taylor, 
Bobert Portner, 
John W. Pilling, 
E. W. Tyler, 
E. D. Eutherford, 
Joseph Y. Potts, 
J. F. Seitz, 
J. H. Smoot, 
O. G. Staples, 
Jos. C. McKibben, 
Levi Woodbury, 
H. C. Swain, 
Wm. Schwing, 
J. S. Swormsted, 
A. J. Clarke, 
Bobert E. Bradley, 



John W. Shaw, 
Wm. H. Selden, 
Wm. S. Teel, . 
Edward Temple, 
C. W. Thorn, 
A. A. Thomas, 
W. S. Thompson, 
S. B. Bobbins, 
Dr. S. Townshend, 
W. H. Clarke, 
A. Tyssowski, 
George W. Moss, 
I. N. Burritt, 
Thomas G. Morrow, 
John F. Waggaman, 
Thomas Walsh, 
Frank K. Ward, 
Henry Hurt, 
Charles Wheatley, 
C. Witmer, 
Percy G. Smith, 
S. W. Woodward, 
M. Marean. 



THE OFFICIAL PROGRAM FOR EACH DAY 



The following is the program for the National Drill, beginning Monday, 

May 23 : 



Monday — Dress parade at 5 p. m. 

Tuesday — Infantry company compe- 
titions, 10 to 2 ; zouave competitions, 
2.30 ; exhibition drill, 4 ; dress parade, 
5. Artillery drills, Athletic Park, 10 to 1. 

Wednesday — Parade, forenoon ; regi- 
mental reviews and competitions, after- 
noon ; dress parade, 5. 

Thursday — Infantry company compe- 
titions, 10 to 2 ; zouave competitions, 
2.30 ; individual competition, 4 ; dress 
parade, 5. Artillery drills, Athletic Park, 
10 to 1. 

Friday — Infantry company competi- 
tion, 10 to 2 ; battalion competition, 2 



to 4 ; individual competition, 4 ; dress 
parade, 5. 

Saturday — Infantry company compe- 
tition, 10 to 2 ; cadet competition, 2 ; 
High School cadets, 4 ; dress parade, 5. 

Sunday — Eeligious service, 3 ; dress 
parade, 5. 

Monday — Street parade, forenoon ; 
award of prizes and exhibition drills, 
afternoon ; dress parade, 5. 

Artillery drills, Tuesday and Thurs- 
day, 10 to 1 ; rifle practice, Tuesday 
afternoon ; Thursday, 11 to 3 ; Friday, 
11 to 3 ; Saturday, 11 to 3. 



PRIZES. 

The prizes are the largest ever offered, and, in the aggregate, amount to 
,500, with other souvenir trophies, and will be distributed as follows : 

For the best platoon with machine 
guns, $750 to first and $500 to second. 

For the best zouave drill, $1,000 to 
first and $750 to second. 

For the best infantry company of ca- 
dets, $1,000 to first and $750 to second. 

For the best-drilled soldier, $100 and 
gold medal to first, $75 and silver medal 
to second, and $50 and bronze medal to 
third. 

The best rifle shot, same as above. 



The best regiment of infantry, a mag- 
nificent stand of colors, with gold, silver, 
and bronze medals to the officers. 

For the best battalion of infantry, 
$3,000 to the first and $1,500 to second. 

For the best company of infantry, 
$5,000 to first, $2,500 to second, $1,500 
to third, $1,000 to fourth, and $500 to 
fifth. 

For the best company of cavalry, 
$2,000 to first and $1,500 to second. 

For the best platoon of light artillery, 
$1,500 to first and $1,000 to second. 



It is also the intention of the Committee to bestow medals of merit in gold, 
silver, and bronze, according to their grading, upon all companies taking prizes. 



ROSTER 



Of REGIMENTS, BATTALIONS, and COMPANIES of Infantry, 
Cavalry, Artillery, Zouave, and Cadets of Military Schools and 
Academies, which have signified their intention to par- 
ticipate in the National Drill and Encampment. 



THE SHERIDAN GUARDS. 

MANCHESTEK, N. H. 

Were organized in August, 1865, and, being 
composed almost exclusively at the time of vet- 
erans of the war were named in honor of Gen. 
P. H. Sheridan, of the United States Army. 
The company at once took its place at the head 
of the militia of the State, and their title to the 
place has never been disputed but once, when, 
July 4, 1876, they defeated all comers in State 
contest. On July 4, 1881, the company went to 
Lawrence, Mass., andsecured second prize, f 100, 
being defeated by the Lawrence Light Infantry, 
then acknowledged to be the best drilled military 
organization in New England. Encouraged by 
this achievement, the company continued to 
improve until, at Boston, October 7 and 8, 1884, 
it took first prize on each day, winning $500 
the first day and $100 the second. The or- 
ganization comes to Washington in better shape 
than it has ever been in before, and, though it 
has never met any of the crack companies 
from the South or West, its friends are confi- 
dent that it will make an excellent showing. 
They are accompanied in camp by the Vet- 
erans' Drum Corps. 

The uniform of the Sheridan Guards is blue. 
The coat is cut in the swallow-tail pattern, and 
has three rows of buttons on the front, and 
epaulettes of buff, piped with red cord. The 
trowsers are of sky-blue kersey, with stripes 
and a red welt on each side of the stripe. The 
shako has a buff pompom. The officers wear 
the uniform of the officers in the regular in- 
fantry service, except that the trimmings are 
blue instead of white. 

The roster of the company is as follows : 
Captain, Daniel F. Shea ; first lieutenant, Ed- 
ward P. Bagley ; second lieutenant, John F. 
Gleason ; sergeants, John F. O'Malley, John 
F. Courtney ; privates, T. J. Bresnahan, J. F. 
Byrnes, James Cullity, Thomas Courving, A. J. 
Earley, M. Rynch, William Moher, T. E. Mc- 
Derby, P. O'Brien, Dennis Scanrell, M. T. 



Burke, J. F. Bagley, F. P. Cullity, John Con- 
nor, J. J. Foley, J. B. Murphy, James Mull- 
holland, William Morris, J. F. Rearsdon, M. 
Soraghan, T. E. Burke, M. Cullity, John Cul- 
lity, William Devitt, J. J. Ford, P. Murphy, T. 
J. Mulligan, J. McCarty, William Sullivan, John 
Thornton. 



THE SELYE CITIZENS' CORPS, 

KOCHESTEK, NEW YOKE. 

The eighth separate company of Rochester, 
N. Y. , better known as the Selye Citizens' Corps, 
is one of the finest organizations in the State, 
and has an interesting history. It was formerly 
Company E, of the Fifty-fourth' Regiment, and 
retained its organization when that regiment 
was mustered out by Gov. Cornell. The com- 
pany was first organized in August, 1863. On 
July 6, 1864, it entered the United States ser- 
vice, and served in the army 108 days. On the 
12th of July, 1865, Lieut. Henderson was 
chosen captain, and three years later it won its 
first drill prize — a flag. Its present name was 
adopted August 19, 1868, in honor of Lewis 
Selye. It has done duty in quelling labor riots 
during the strikes of 1871 and 1877, and, be- 
sides this practical service, has participated 
with great success in drills — taking first prize 
August 19, 1880, at Elmira, and winning a 
handsome silk flag at Buffalo in 1882. Besides 
this, it appeared to excellent advantage at the 
G. A. R. encampment in Western New York in 
1881. Its percentage, as recorded by the State 
inspecting officers, is higher than that of any 
other New York company. Its roster is as fol- 
lows : 

Capt. H. B. Henderson, First Lieut. F. J. 
Hess, First Sergeant C. J. White, Second Ser- 
geant F. Bennett, Corporals A. J. Christiansen, 
E. Steibler, and A. A. O.Winterroth ; Privates W. 
A. Millington, W. R. Widmer, O. E. DeRidder, 
W. J. Mullen, H. A. Bingewer, C. A. Blazo, C. 
H. B. Harte, G. R. C. Taylor, E. M. Hisom, F. 
W. White, W. M. Westburg, J. A. Christian- 



335 



sen, G. E. Eohr, J. J. Seif , J. H. Taylor, M. J. 
Lamb, L. B. Thrasher, E. H. Miller, P. A. 
Kearney, G. F. Albrecht, G. J. Masey. Sub- 
stitutes— P. D. Morton; Privates E. Leonard, 
0. Weir, E. A. Laidlow, H. E. Founley, C. O. 
Gibbs, C. Pitkin, W. J. Masey. 



THE KECK ZOUAVES, 

JOHNSTOWN, NEW YORK, 

One of the noted military companies of Central 
New York, were first organized as a campaign 
club during the summer of 1884. They ap- 
peared in several cities in the Mohawk Valley, 
winning for themselves many laurels, and after 
the campaign, in October of the same year, they 
perfected an independent military organization. 
The regulation Zouave uniform was chosen, and 
consists of a dark blue coat, trimmed with gold 
cord, a vest of lighter blue, with a sash to match. 
The pantaloons are of a rich Turkish-red color, 
being made large and baggy, as Zouave suits 
usually are. The dress cap is after the style 
of the ones worn by the Arabians, and a fatigue 
cap is worn, when off parade, made like a Turk- 
ish fez. The leggings are made of fine white 
kid leather, fitting tightly to the leg. They use 
the Miller breech-loading rifle. 

Since the organization the company have ar- 
duously practiced drilling, and, under the very 
able direction of Capt. P. F. Case, have reached 
a perfection in drill and quick execution of diffi- 
cult movements pleasing to witness. They have 
participated in all important parades in cities, 
from Albany to Utica. At the Albany bi-cen- 
tennial they were a prominent feature, receiv- 
ing flattering press notices and prolonged ap- 
plaiise along the line. 

The Keck Zouaves have never taken part in 
any prize drills or interstate contests, but have 
repeatedly appeared before the public in all the 
principal cities of Central New York. 

The number of men in camp at the National 
Drill is twenty-four. They are accompanied by 
their own drum corps of eight drums. The fol- 
lowing is a roster of the command as it appears 
in camp : Captain, P. F. Case ; first lieutenant, 
Lyman Argensinger; second lieutenant, Mart 
Wade, jr. ; bugler, D. M. Newton ; Privates 
George Boberts, H. W. Hambridge, Harry L. 
Wayne, A. Tf. Calderwood, John Hennely, 
William Van Sickler, Edward Lorentz, B. J. 
Wemple, Arthur Vibbard, Harry Tutchings, 
John Smith, B. E. Smith, William W. Smith, 
Robert Spoil, Chas. Baymond, Frank Bowles, 



James McGuire, Lyman Hawley, Thomas C. 
Grimes, Marion Gross, W. J. Eldridge, William 
Dovey, W. D. Christie, B. H. Calderwood. 

MOLINEUX BIFLES, 

BROOKLYN, N. T. 

The Molineux Bifles of Brooklyn is also 
known as Company D, of the Thirty-second 
Begiment. It dates from October, 1868, when 
Capt. Petre first commanded it. This is its 
first participation in a drill outside of its own 
State, but within the borders of New York it 
has come out first in competitions. Its roster 
is as follows : 

Captain, Edward Verdeckberg ; First Lieu- 
tenant, Edward J. Benison ; Second Lieutenant, 
Edward McGlynn ; First Sergeants. Wm. Craw 
ford, John H. Newell, Isaac Barrett, John Bol- 
and, Michael Teuz, Wm. Crimm, George Evans, 
Wm. Mahoney, John Schmitt, John Booney, 
Harry Crawford, Philip Doelke, Bichard J. 
Evans, Adolph Ebert, Samuel Holdsworth, 
Frank Karl, Louis Mahler, Samuel Newell, John 
Bosenkranz, Lorenz Schinveller, Peter Seitz, 
Wm. Thompson, Conrad Young, T. F. Mc- 
Manus, James S. Pusey, and Charles Boiler. 
Substitutes, Bichard Erbe, Wm. Stillwagen, 
Lewis Streneke, John Bassett, Wm. Schleiss. 

THE CADETS OF THE MILITABY 
ACADEMY, 

PEEKSKILL, NEW YORK. 

The Peekskill Military Academy was one of 
the first State schools to establish a system of 
military instruction and discipline. About 
thirty-five years ago Col. Z. J. Seale, a gradu- 
ate of West Point, was appointed command- 
ant of cadets, and military instruction has since 
then been regularly given. There are daily drills 
throughout the academic year. The battalion 
has never entered in a competition drill be- 
fore, but the picked company that is entered 
for the drill for companies from schools and 
colleges is a finely drilled body of young men, 
and are confident of being among the prize- 
winners. 

The uniforms of the battalion consists of a 
dark blue jacket, light blue trowsers with a 
black stripe, and the Warwick cap. The equip- 
ments consist of Springfield rifles with white 
cross belts. 

The cadet battalion numbers about 110, and 
is divided into three companies, with the fol- 
lowing roster of officers : Col. Charles J.Wright, 



336 



commandant ; Carl A. Hai^strom, lieutenant- 
colonel ; Belden F. Hyatt, major ; Cadet Lieut. 
W. M. Miller, adjutant ; Cadet Lieut. B. C. 
Root, quartermaster j Cadet Sergt. R. C. Fen- 
ton, sergeant major ; Cadet Sergt. J. J. Julbe, 
quax'termaster sergeant; Cadet Sergt. W. M. 
Scheftel, color sergeant. 

First Company — Cadet W. E. Hills, captain ; 
Cadet C. W. Starbuck. first lieutenant ; Cadet 
R. Boyd, jr.. second lieutenant; Cadet B. J. 
Johnson, first sergeant ; Cadet F. Murphy, sec- 
ond sergeant. Second Company -Cadet C. C. 
Hubbell, captain ; Cadet F. S. C. Wicks, first 
lieutenant; Cadet T. C. Lyman, jr., second 
lieutenant ; Cadet F. O. Smith, first sergeant ; 
Cadet Saterlee S. Saltonstall. Third Com- 
pany — Cadet Jotham Smith, captain ; Cadet 
Y. H. Smith, first lieutenant ; Cadet E. S. R. 
Seguin, second lieutenant ; Cadet W. McCor- 
mick, first lieutenant ; Cadet W. Mobley, sec- 
ond sergeant. 

The drill corps will consist of men picked 
from all the companies, officered by the follow- 
ing picked officers : Carl A. Harstrom, cap- 
tain ; Cadet W. E. Mills, first lieutenant ; Ca- 
det C. B. Hubbell, second lieutenant ; Cadet 
Jotham Smith, first sergeant ; Cadet W. M. 
Miller, second sergeant. 



THE SECOND REGIMENT OHIO NATIONAL 
GUARD 

Was formed in 1883 by the consolidation of the 
old Seventh and Eleventh Regiments. The 
Second was one of the regiments called on by 
the Governor at the time of the Cincinnati riots 
in 1884, when the courthouse was burned, and 
some of the companies were on duty during the 
railway strike in 1877. The regiment entered 
the competitive drill at Philadelphia in 1885 
and carried away a prize. The uniform of the 
Second is the regulation fatigue uniform of the 
State, which is exactly the same as that of the 
regular army. The officers wear the regular 
army dress uniform. 

The regiment is composed of the following 
companies : 

A Company, Findlay, Ohio, Capt. Charles 
Davis, 57 men ; B Company, Upper Sandusky, 
Ohio, Capt. W. S. Metz, 35 men ; C Company, 
Lima, Ohio, Capt. F. M. Bell, 41 men ; D Com- 
pany, Van Wert, Ohio, Capt. John Rison, 48 
men ; E Company, Bellefontaine, Ohio, Capt. 
David Wiand, 50 men ; G Company, Kenton, 
Ohio, Capt. W. E. Scott, 51 men ; H Company, 



Bloomdale, Ohio, Capt. E. S. Bryant, 67 men : 
I Company, Ottawa, Ohio, Capt. H. E. McClure, 
58 men. 

The field and staff officers are as follows : 
James C. Howe, colonel, Kenton, Ohio; A. 
B. Probert, Bloomdale, Ohio, lieutenant 
colonel ; H. F. Collins, Kenton, Ohio, major ; 
P. A. Campbell. Kenton, Ohio, adjutant; Fre- 
mont Lowrey, Van Wert, Ohio, quartermaster ; 
John A. Bower, Van Wert, Ohio, chaplain; F. 
F.Dawson, Ottawa, Ohio, surgeon; non-com- 
missioned, staff and band, 21 men. 



THE CITY GUARDS, 

WOOSTEE, OHIO. 

The Wooster City Guard was organized as an 
independent company in the fall of 1879, with 
Col. J. H. Carr, a veteran of the late war, in 
command as captain. The following year the 
company participated in a large soldiers' and 
sailors' reunion at Canton, Ohio, and was on 
that day reviewed by President Hayes and the 
late Gen. James A. Garfield. Both gentlemen 
complimented the command upon its fine ap- 
pearance and proficiency in drill. On this oc- 
casion its excellence was noted by the Gover- 
nor and the Adjutant-General of Ohio, who 
shortly after sent an urgent invitation to the 
company to attach itself to the Ohio National 
Guard. This invitation was accepted, and on 
February 22, 1881, the Wooster City Guard was 
mustered into the State service as Company D 
of the Eighth Regiment, O. N. G., by Gen. 
Wm. Gibson, at that time adjutant-general on 
Gov. Foster's staff. In the fall of 1882 the 
company participated in the interstate com- 
petitive drill at Toledo, Ohio, this being the 
first contest in which it appeared. It succeeded 
in capturing the third prize, $500. 

On July 4, 1884, the company won an easy 
victory over some of the crack companies of 
the Ohio National Guard in a prize drill at 
Bucyrus, 0., carrying home the first prize — 
$200 in gold. In July, 1885, the company at- 
tended the Philadelphia drill. It ranked fifth 
in the drill, but got no money, as was the case 
with all of the competing companies present. 
In all of the encampments — regimental and bri- 
gade — of the O. N. G. in which the Wooster 
City Guard has participated it has always won 
the laurels. During the past year the company 
has undergone a reorganization, and now has 
many new recruits in its ranks. 

The roster of the company is as follows : 



337 



Captain, Horace N. Clemens ; first lieuten- 
ant, Robert Carneroe ; second lieutenant, 
Forbes Alcock ; sergeants, John Russell, S. C. 
Hilterbraut, Edwin C. Hard, Charles H. Clark, 
William C. Myers, Charles H. Hesler ; corporals, 
Hugh M. Annat, Ross W. Funck, Charles Zim- 
merman, Samuel C. Speer, Joseph E. Gray, 
Frank Bahl, S. E. Truesdale, Chas. M. Taylor; 
privates, W. H. Allis, C. C. Adams, A. C. 
Banker, Ed. Bates, L. H. Cook, W. C. Caroth- 
ers, H. B. Christine, H. F. Ebinger, Fred. 
Faber, G. E. Hummer, C. E. Ihrig, W. E. 
Jackson, Finnie Luce, John S. McClure, W. A. 
Miller, Ed. McMillen, H. Osborne, John A. 
Potter, R K. Pinkerton, J. W. Shellenbargen, 
J. H. Snyder, J. W. Sweeney, Taggart, Chas. 
Wehrley, J. B. Wilhem, Chas. Weber. 

THE TOLEDO CADETS. 
When the Toledo Cadets were first organized, 
in 1870, its members were boys ranging from 
ten to fifteen years of age. Since then the 
company has been reorganized several times, 
finally returning to its old name. On March 
17, 1879, the company was sworn into the ser- 
vice of the Ohio National Guards, and is the 
only separate company permitted by the laws 
of the State. The organization has participated 
in six competitive drills, taking first place in 
two. The prizes they have won aggregate a 
total of $4,000. The officers are Capt. William 
V. McMaken; First Lieut., William H. Mc- 
Cook, and Second Lieut., Thomas T. Waters. 

THE INDIANAPOLIS LIGHT ARTILLERY. 

Battery A Indiana Legion, was organized in 
July, 1861, but it did no drilling until October, 
and then only foot movements, as it had no 
guns and had none until March of the next 
year. In August, 1883, only six months after 
arrival of its equipment, Battery A, like a 
young game rooster, entered its sections A and 
B in both the State and interstate contests for 
"best section drill" at the interstate drill at 
Indianapolis. 

In the State contest section B won first 
prize ; section A, second prize : a clear ' ' scoop " 
for the Battery. In addition to this, the 
mounted drill contest, in the interstate contest, 
was easily won by Battery A ; thus winning 
four prizes in its very first competition, be- 
sides the gold cup, captured by the Gatling- 
gun squad. At one spring Battery A leaped 
into the very first in its arm ; for it won more 



prizes in that week than all other companies of 
the State combined had ever captured before. 

In the next spring the Indiana champions 
were challenged to drill a section contest by 
the Cincinnati Light Artillery. July 4, 1884, 
the competition took place ; the Second Regi- 
ment, O. N. G., going over to back their favor- 
ites ; while the Second Regiment, Indiana In- 
fantry, did similar service for theirs. The re- 
sult was a complete route for Ohio, Battery A 
scoring twenty points above their opponents. 

These famous successes were won under the 
captaincy of George W. Johnson, but the drill 
team was always commanded by his first lieu- 
tenant, James B. Curtis, who had entered as a 
private and been rapidly promoted. In Sep- 
tember, 1884, Lieut. Curtis was made captain. 
Immediately, under his direction, the armory 
now occupied was built. A team was put in 
preparation for the Mobile and New Orleans 
encampments of 1885. On May 1, the battery 
reported in camp at Mobile. The quarters of 
the battery were very acceptable, being in the 
beautiful grove on the Shell road, on Mobile 
bay. It was at this encampment that the bat- 
tery met its first serious reverse. The quarter- 
master had carelessly packed the ammunition 
chest of the limber without inspecting the 
cartridges furnished him. For the first time 
it was discovered on the drill field that the 
cartridges were too large for the gun. It was 
impossible to force them into the muzzle, and 
the detachment was effectually barred. The 
boys are now as proud of the only black rib- 
bon on the Guidon as they are of either of the 
blue ones, as it indicates a lesson dearly learned. 

Not discouraged by the Mobile disaster, the 
battery courageously moved on to New Orleans 
the next week, where it met the winners of the 
first and second prizes at Mobile, namely, the 
Washington Artillery and Louisiana Field Ar- 
tillery, in addition to the battery from Galves- 
ton, Texas. The drill was pronounced the 
most nearly perfect of any in the history of 
contests, and the Ho osiers were awarded the 
first prize and the world's medal by the Com- 
missioners of the Cotton Centennial. It was a 
great victory on the very fighting grounds of 
the famous New Orleans batteries. The team 
turned its face homeward justly proud of the 
record made and highly delighted with the 
warm reception given it in New Orleans. It 
was now the champion of the country. 



338 



In July of the same year the battery went to 
the Philadelphia Encampment. In the contest 
with eight batteries it was awarded second 
place. 

In 1886 the organization scored three first 
prizes at the International drill at Lafayette. 
It met Battery A, of Illinois, and led it in the 
score by ten per cent. In the State drill it was 
an easy winner of first place. The Gatling 
Gun Section again came to the front and made 
one of the prettiest drills ever seen, distancing 
all competitors. With the three prizes the bat- 
tery returned home, where it was welcomed by 
a mass-meeting of citizens and a most uiricpie 
street parade. 

The organization is now the pride of the city 
and State. The personnel of its membership 
is superior to that of most similar organiza- 
tions, and it is at "Washington with its eyes fixed 
on first place. It is the ambition of the drill team 
to make the Washington drill furnish the one 
it now lacks of having won twelve prizes, so as 
to have a record of just a dozen. 

Following is the Drill Team : Captain, James 
B. Curtis ; sergeant, Carroll L. DeWitt ; gun 
corporals, Harry C. Jackson and John Boden- 
miller ; caisson corporals, Oel Thayer and Wil- 
liam Woods ; privates, Johnson Holmes, Homer 
VanWie, Decatur McAllister, Thomas Christian, 
George Lilly, William D. Myers, Myron Stow- 
ell, Frederick Dietrihs, Chas. Garrard, T. N. 
Ridgley, Samuel True blood, Will Newby, 
Charles Drapier, Charles Paulsen, Frank Shell- 
house, Preston Kelsey, and Edward Johnson. 

The uniform of the battery is very nearly the 
same as that worn by the artillery in the regu- 
lar service, the only difference being that the 
trowsers are darker and of fiuer grade. 

THE FORT WAYNE RIFLES. 
The Fort Wayne Rifles, Company B, Second 
Regiment Indiana Legion, of Fort Wayne, Ind., 
is one of the crack companies of that State, 
though it has been organized only since August, 
1885, and did not begin to drill under Oapt. F. 
W. Rawles until December of that year. Since 
that time, however, they have drilled from one 
to three times per week. After drilling seven 
months they entered their maiden drill at the 
State encampment at Lafayette, July 26 to 
August 2, 1886, and took first prize for compa- 
nies never competing before, with a grade of 
86.45. A few days following they took second 
prize in the Indiana Infantry Legion drill, open 



to all the companies in the State. These are 
all the contests they have entered. At the 
close of the second drill a delegation of citizens 
of Fort Wayne, headed by the Mayor, presented 
them with a beautiful silk flag. They were ap- 
pointed to act as special escort to Gov. Gray, 
on his visit to the encampment. The company 
has forty-two members, uniformed in West 
Point cadet gray and regulation helmets. The 
Rifles are commanded in camp by Capt. F. W. 
Rawles, First Lieut., Clarence E. Cook, and 
Second Lieut., I. W. Leonard. 

The uon-commissioned officers and men are 
as follows : Sergeants, John E. Dalton, John 
E. Miller, John S. McCurdy, Henry W. Lepper, 
and Herbert L. Kemp ; Corporals, William B. 
Gaskins, Nat. H. Foster, William P. Gouty, 
John Hall ; privates, William P. Bidwell, Clin- 
ton D. Bourie, Chas. J. Bolger, Mortimer Clark, 
Chas. E. Colson, Joseph Evans, Herman Hog- 
gist, A. L. Holverstott, Edwin T. Jackson, 

Kairns, H. T. Koenig, Fred. Markey, Louis 

Meier, Clarence Misner, Newell H. Ransom, 
Darwin S. Root, Ed. S. Smiliee, Ernst D. Scher- 
man, Ellis D. Searles, Frank E. Snyder, Wm. 
E. Weisell, J. G. Weisell, Walter W. Wells, and 
Harry Gould. 



THE INDIANAPOLIS LIGHT INFANTRY 

Was organized May 1, 1877. Its first captain 
was Nicholas K. Kuckle. In 1883 Col. Kuckle 
was obliged to resign the captaincy of the com- 
pany to accept the position of colonel of second 
regiment ; Capt. J. R. Ross then succeeded him. 
He had been first lieutenant before Col. Kuckle 
resigned. The company has participated in 
many prize drills at St. Louis, Nashville, Louis- 
ville, and twize at Indianapolis, and two years 
ago at Philadelphia. In 1883 the company 
stood first in the drill at Indianapolis, and 
placed on the records of the War Department 
the best score ever made in any prize drill, 
United States Army officers being the judges. 
At Philadelphia they stood fourth out of nine 
companies, and at Louisville third. 

The following is the roster of the drill corps : 
Capt. J. R. Ross, First Lieut. W. J. McKee, 
Second Lieut. R. F. Scott ; First Sergts., A. Die- 
trichs, Stott. Smith Lowes and Conde ; Quar- 
termaster Sergt. W. H. Burke ; quartermaster 
sergt.'s assistant, Gardner ; Orderly Sergt. Mc- 
Cormick ; Corporals McCrea, Sharp, Jones and 
Brown ; Privates, Alexander, Bissell, Blake, 
Buck, Bodine, Cobb, Duden, Eckman, Foster, 



339 



Gray, C. K. Henderson, P. B. Henderson, Ir- 
ving, T. L. Johnson, H. M. Johnson, Keuser, 
Labra, Law, Lockwood, Loveless, Lowes, Ly- 
brand, Manan, Mahoney, A. Martin, W. W. 
Martin, Mansfield, Mclntyre, Morrisen, J. H. 
Oliver, E. T. Oliver, Parsons, Porter, Banville, 
Beeubs,Eeynolds, Eich, Eobinson, Eue, Shane- 
verger, Sipe, D. H. Smith, H. E. Smith, Sweenie, 
Todd, Woods, K. J. Wright, and W. W. Wright. 



THE WALKEE LIGHT GUAED 

KICHMOND, VA. , 

Company B, First Virginia Volunteers, of Eich- 
mond, was organized April 15, 1871. In 1884, 
at the time of the Danville riots, the company was 
ordered to be held in readiness, and was held 
under arms at its armory, but its services were 
not required. November 2, 1883, at the fair of 
the Virginia Agricultural Society, the Walker 
Light Guards carried off first prize over nine 
competitors ; and again, October 23, 1884, at 
the same place, it took first rank over four 
competitors. 

The command now numbers seventy-five offi- 
cers and men, about forty-five of that number 
being in camp. The team that will contest for 
the prizes is composed of the following officers 
and men : Captain, Henry C. Jones ; first lieu- 
tenant, J. H. Derbyshire ; second lieutenant, 
Julian E. Tennont ; first sergt., H. D. Messier ; 
second sergt. , J. S. Lown; third sergt., F. E. 
A. Spott ; fourth sergt., S. T. Michel ; fifth 
sergt., E. W. Sweeny; corporals, William Bus- 
sell, A. B. Hill, E. A. Buness ; privates, John 
Buness, P. Benjamin, E. C. Carrington, W. C. 
Cosby, S. L. Elliott, P. N. Falkner, W. Hewitt, 

E. B. Hawes, William Heinchman, E. H. 

* 

Hutchenson, N. S. Hamlin, C. S. B. Halpin, H. 
S. Harwood, J. J. Harvesty, A. W. La Foman, 
J. J. Lynch, E. F. Madden, J. C. Mayfield, 
Henry Eussell, E. H. Spott, C. Snill, E. C. 
Snead, John Tennant, S. A. Weiss, J. H. Wil- 
kinson, E. C. Williams, H. C. Whitlock. 



MONMOUTH GUAEDS, 

Or Company H, of the Sixth Infantry of the 
Hlinois National Guards, was mustered into the 
service by Gol. William Jackson, April 29, 1881, 
as Company H, of the Sixth. Capt. Eankin 
has been in command since August 16, 1883, 
having succeeded the first captain, W. G. Bond, 
who resigned in 1883. The company was called 
into active service at East St. Louis last spring 



and was highly complimented by officers and 
and citizens for good service. 

On their return home they were warmly wel- 
comed, being met at the depot by the Marine 
Band and nearly a thousand citizens, and es- 
corted to the armory, where they were tendered 
a reception and elegant banquet. 

The roster of the company: Capt., Geo. C. 
Eankin ; First Lieut., Wm. F. Eeichard ; Second 
Lieut., Wm. W. Shields; First Sergt., D. E. 
Clarke ; Second Sergt., E. W. Stevens ; Cor- 
porals, J. N. Thomson, I. A. Ewing, G. E. 
Shields, J. E. McMillen ; Privates, I. T. Brady, 
F. F. Carson, E. J. Clarke, J. D. Diffenbaugh, 
E. C. Elder, I. Hwing, J. E. Hickman, J. J. 
Kobler, H. J. Kobler, J. D. Kelsey, A. E. La- 
haun, J. I. Lunsley, Henry McCoy, A. A. Moore, 
T. G. McCullough, Philip Naesbaum, W. L. 
Palmer, Guy Palmer, D. L. Porter, Jas. Bay, 
A. C. Shoemaker, C. E. Stoeckle, David Turn- 
ball, S. W. Wise. 



THE BULLENE GUAEDS, 

KANSAS CITY, MO., 

Were organized during the summer of 1881 as 
the Bullene Cadets, assuming this title in re- 
spect for their esteemed fellow-citizen, T. B. 
Bullene, then Mayor of Kansas City. 

During the first year of their existence the 
Cadets as a company visited the soldiers' re- 
union and State fair at Topeka. They also 
visited Leavenworth in this year, where they 
were the guests of the Leavenworth Light In- 
fantry. 

The third year of the company's existence 
marked important changes. Under the com- 
mand of Capt. Cookson the company made 
rapid strides toward military perfection, giving 
exhibition drills on several occasions, the prin- 
cipal one being at the installation of the Grand 
Army officers at the Pythian and Armory halls. 

In this third year the company formed a 
part of the First Battalion of the National 
Guard of Missouri. Soon after this the Third 
Eegiment, N. G. M., was organized under the 
command of Col. Milton Moore, and the Bul- 
lene Guards became Company B of that regi- 
ment, retaining their distinctive title. 

During Fair week, 1886, two money prizes 
were offered in Kansas City, open to all mili- 
companies in the State, for the best company 
drill. The drill was held at League Park, and 
was witnessed by a vast concourse of people 
assembled from all parts of the State. The re- 



340 



suit of the drill was the award of the first 
prize to the " Bullene Guards," of this city. 

Iu April, 1887, T. B. Bullene, ever mindful 
of the respect to his name and the interests 
and welfare of the company, presented the 
company, at an entertainment at Music Hall, 
with a magnificent and costly banner, our State 
colors, which the Bullene Guards have with 
them in Camp George Washington. 

The following is the roster of the company : 
Capt., Win. Kelly ; First Lieut., F. W. Rosen- 
thall ; Second Lieiit., Charles E. Wagner ; Ser- 
geants, W. L. Guthrie, Paul Shepard, U. S. 
Mahood ; Ed. Kurfiss, Phil. F. Cohn ; Corpo- 
rals, Al. Thies, A. S. Bovard, John Dixon ; Pri- 
vates, R. W. Atwell, S. J. Booth, F. B. Camp- 
bell, S. B. Dix, Robert Drysdale, James G. 
Foard, W. J. Fapp, W. S. Hedstrom, Fred. 
Howard, Fletcher Jones, John Kurfiss, W. W. 
Keunedy, George Miller, W. J. Polk, S. J. 
Potter, J. H. Roberts, R. Stewart, L. Schry- 
ver, N. G. Thomas, E. G. Woodling. 

THE CHICAMAUGA GUARDS. 

The crack company of Chattanooga, Tenn., 
the Chicamauga Guards, Company B, First 
Regiment Tennessee Volunteers, was organized 
in August, 1883, and less than a year afterward, - 
July 10, 1884, took second prize at the encamp- 
ment at Rome, Ga. The roster of the company 
is as follows : 

Captain — C. S. Henry ; Lieutenants — R. O. 
Biese, R. O. Neale, and Tracy Steele ; Ser- 
geants — C. E. G\irth, Frank Howel, Frank 
Rowden, R. Sagaser, and W. B. Spears ; Cor- 
porals— R. King, Elmer Smith, W. T. Phillips, 
and E. W. King ; Privates — Rich, Cox, Lottie 
McLeod, Marion Ham, E. V. D. Sullivan, Tom 
Rourke, R. C. Stewart, J. D. Brown, Fred. John- 
son, Fred. Fostner, Chas. Shott, C. E. Murphy, 
Dan. Connor, R. V. Brown, Jas. Myers, C. E. 
Fryer, W. C. Connor, Robt. Schwartz, Horace 
Acree, H. D. Phillips, Teron Brown, Ed. De- 
neaux, John Dickerson, Chas. Bradshaw, B. 
Snyper, Henry Davis, Walter Lanter, Jim 
Davis, Harry Lauter, Tom. Gillespie, Henry 
Obremyer, R. P. Shelton, T. J. Waddell, Rich. 
McKenney, Fred. Hill, Jesse Stone, Lucius Jor- 
dan, Chas. W. Fleshman, Carl Rowden, Jake 
Wasman. 



drill, having been organized September 4, 1886 ; 
but, notwithstanding this fact, they present a 
very creditable appearance in the unique zouave 
uniforms, and are already very proficient in the 
drill. The roster of the command is as fol- 
lows : • 

F. K. Deffry, captain ; Charles J. Rauch, first 
lieutenant ; C. W. Mayfield, second lieutenant ; 
G. C. Sawtelle, third lieutenant ; J. A. Winkle- 
man, first sergeant ; George Laughbine, second 
sergeant; and privates, J. D. Proudfit, T. E. 
Patterson, Walten Dalton, W. Hamilton, F. A. 
Mahler, T. W. Sherron, G. W. Williams, J. H. 
Hippie, J. F. Ritter, A. W. Ostolob, J. A. Jones, 
Ed. Cresby, V. B. Boddie, L. P. Furbish, H. 
Buttonhous, R. R. Dixon, F. Muller, C. W. 
Becker, B. A. Rodgers, J. W. Richards, A. R. 
Wiggs, E. W. Tatum, I. A. Jones, T. F. Farrell, 
L. H. Conly, C. W. Carleton, Will Nelson, F. 
Schnider, G. W. Seyforth, John Gavin, Frank 
Quinu, James L. Hughes, Ed. Buehl, Joseph 
Schilly, S. A. Cocke, Sam Turner, Steve Wright, 
J. Bergen, W. M. Gardner. 

THE RICHMOND GRAYS. 

Organized as a social institution as far back as 
1844, the Richmond Grays were on a solid basis 
when war was declared against Mexico. Through 
the long years which intervened between that 
struggle and the civil war the company kept its 
organization intact, and entered the latter con- 
test on the 1st of April, 1861, Captain W. M. 
Elliott commanding and Louis J. Boisseux first 
lieu tenant. The company served with Ma- 
hone's brigade during the war. After peace 
had been declared Lieutenant Boisseux was 
chosen to command, and held that position for 
sixteen consecutive years. He died in June of 
last year, aged seventy years. C. Gray Bois- 
seux, the veteran's son, is now in command, 
with W. G. Stokes as first lieutenant. 



THE MEMPHIS ZOUAVES. 
The Memphis Merchants' Zouaves are among 
the young organizations in attendance at the 



ST. JOHN'S ACADEMY CADETS. 

The Cadet Corps of St. John's Academy, 
Alexandria, Va., organized in September, 1869, 
under the direction of First Lieutenant Theo- 
dore H. Ficklin, who became its first com- 
mandant. A beautiful stand of colors was 
presented to it by the young ladies of Mount 
Vernon Institute, Alexandria, on the 22d of 
February, 1870. 

In June, 1873, the corps made its first tour 
of camp-life at Shepardstown, Va., and each 



341 



year in succession it has regularly gone into 
camp at different points in the State. 

In 1881, Co. A went to Yorktown as Co. F, 
3d Va. Vols., where it was highly commended 
for its discipline and drill. 

In the autumn of 1884 they received from 
the Frederick Academy of the Visitation a 
superb set of silk embroidered colors, scarcely 
equaled for workmanship in the country. 

Company A, which will compete in the drill, 
is commanded by Capt. Henry W. Newby, First 
Lieut. William H. Sweeney, and Second Lieut. 
William F. Carnes, jr. George P. O'Toole is 
first sergeant and Edgar C. Helphenstine, sec- 
ond, and twenty-four privates, as follows : 

George P. O'Toole, Virginia, right guide ; 
Edgar C. Helphenstine, left guide ; C. Orton 
Brown, James H. Causten, George S. Dearing, 
Henry Douglas, Orlando C. Ketchum, jr., 
Frederick W. Krichett, Eaphael S. Roche, H. 
Percy Soule, Joseph B. Weser, George Aitche : 
son, William G. Carr, John J. Devitt, Walter 
M. Donnelly, S. Mason Lee, Carlton A. Pad- 
gett, Clifton H. Price, William H. Quinn, 
Joseph L. Sanford, Joseph S. Smith, R. Keith 
Compton, jr., Benjamin Tubman, William N. 
Foreacre, W. Marshall Olds, Bismarck Scull, 
Lawrence B. Washington. 



military chieftains, and have enjoyed for some 
time a large share of reputation for executive 
tactics. They are simply uniformed in light 
blue-gray, trimmed in black cloth. The com- 
mandant of cadets, Maj. R. A. Mclntyre, is a 
graduate of the Academy, and received his 
military taining there. The cadet captain, R. 
S. Hynson, is not quite twenty, a native of 
Manassas, Va. 

The company will compete for first prize 
offered to cadet bodies, viz., $1,000 and a gold 
medal. Two members are entered for the in- 
dividual drill, Wm. J. Pettit and Lexie Lanier. 
The following is the roster of the command : 
Privates James S. Lee, John P. Keiser, E. H. 
McClintic, E. E. Blackwell, J. F. Moore, C. 
Gochnauer, C. A. Osborn, H. P. S. Bailey, P. 
St. G. Berraud, S. C. Caldwell, Ed. Nalle, C. 
J. Jennant, B. H. Rucker, James Keiser, W. N. 
Cunningham, Samuel Riggs, Saxon W. Holt, 
W. P. Marks, S. V. Southall, Lex. Lanier, Thos. 
Neel, W. H. Moou, R. L. Palmer, and Comp- 
ton Wilson. 



THE BETHEL ACADEMY CADETS. 
Bethel Classical and Military Academy, 
Bethel Academy Post-office, Va., was organized 
into a military school in 1869. Until about ten 
years ago the officers Avere commissioned by the 
school authorities, but since that time they 
have been commissioned in the Corps of En- 
gineers of the State. Gov. Fitzhugh Lee, who 
has expressed a high regard for them, recently 
made a special issue of the most improved cadet 
rifles to the Cadets. This is not the first public 
exhibition the Bethel Cadets have made of their 
drilling powers. They have visited Washington 
twice ; were reviewed in 1877 by the President, 
Gen. Sherman, and Col. Mosby. Afterwards 
they stacked arms in the East Room — a special 
privilege never extended to any other military 
body — and had a personal introduction to the 
distinguished persons there assembled. They 
visited this city again in 1884, and were re- 
ceived in the East Room by President Cleve- 
land, after which they gave a public drill before 
the Arlington. Twice the cadets have been 
presented with handsome stands of colors ; they 
have been received frequently by eminent 



THE GOVERNOR'S GUARD. 

EALEIGH, N. C. 

Company C, First Regiment, North Carolina 
State Guard, of Raleigh, N. C, was orgahized 
June 11, 1886. The company had seventy-one 
men on the roll at organization, which num- 
ber remains the same to-day. The Guard has 
never taken part in any competitive drill, but in- 
tends taking its baptism at Camp George Wash- 
ington. 

This company tendered its services to Gov. 
A. M. Scales as an escort of honor on " Govern- 
or's Day," May 25, and was accepted. It will 
carry in camp the colors of the First Regiment, 
and also the handsome stand of United States 
colors won by this regiment at a competition 
drill two years ago. 

The dress uniform consists of dark-green 
tunic and trousers trimmed with buff, with 
white helmets. Officers wear regulation cut 
coats trimmed with gold. 

The following men attend the drill : Capt. , 

E. B. Engelleand ; Lieutenants, D. S. Waitt, J. 

F. Ferrall, J. G. Williams ; Sergeants, Grimes, 
Smith, Lumsden, Bain, Timberlake ; Corporals, 
Kreth, Williams ; Privates, Allcott, Bernard, 
Betts, Brooks, Brown, Butt, Cross, Crowder, 
Dobbins, Enniss, Hamlet, Holland, Horton, 
King, Luichan, Mahler, Renn, Riddle, Taylor, 
Stearns, Upchurch, Uzzle, White, Williams, 



342 



"Wilder, Willis : Surgeon, J. A. Sexton ; Drum- 
mers, Jordau, Haynes, Thomason, Nichols, 
Viola. 



THE LEE LIGHT INFANTRY, 

CHESTER, S. C, 

Was organized in July, 1874, under a local 
name, which in June, 1877, was exchanged 
for its present title in honor of Gen. E. E. 
Lee, one of the greatest military chieftains of 
his age. At the date of its formation, in ac- 
cordance with the policy of the administration 
of the State, it was excluded from participating 
in the volunteer militia service, so that it was 
not recognized and accepted as part of the State 
militia till May, 1877, shortly after the election 
of Hampton as Governor. The company now 
forms part of the Second or Palmetto Regi- 
ment, Third Brigade, South Carolina Volun- 
teers. 

Within the thirteen years of its existence 
the company has had five captains — Thomas 
S. Smith. Charles S. Brice, James K. Under- 
shaff, Julius Nully, aud Gily J. Patterm — the 
second, third, and fifth haying together served 
more than eleven years of that time. 

The company is armed with the Springfield 
rifle, and its uniform is of cadet-gray cloth, of 
the pattern prescribed by the State of South 
Carolina. The Lee Light Infantry will not 
compete for any of the prizes, but it expects 
to participate in all the reviews, dress parades, 
and guard mountings, and all routine duties of 
the camp. 

The roster of the command, as it is in camp, is 
as follows : First lieutenant, commanding, G. 
Dawson Heath ; second lieutenant, J. Lyles 
Glenn ; acting third lieutenant, J. K. Mar- 
shall ; first sergeant, T. N. Berry ; second ser- 
geant, J. A. Graham ; third sergeant, J. A. 
Childs ; fourth sergeant, M. B. Heyman ; fifth 
sergeant, M. H. Elliott ; corporal, G. Mobley 
Heath ; privates, Munroe Carpenter, Julius C. 
Carpenter, A. J. Cauthen, L. D. Childs, E. A. 
Crawford, J. W. Dunmont, R. H. Ferguson, 
G. W. Hafner, S. C. Jones, T. E. McLuse, John 
McKee, Henry McNinch, R. H. Morgan, Robt. 
Morrison, W. H. Murr, F. M. Pooser, D. B. 
Refoe, E. Brooks Sligh, John White, F. L. 
Whitloch, J. L. Wood. 



jr., as first and second lieutenants, respectively. 
In May, 1885, the company entered the Inter- 
state Drill held in Mobile, drawing for jflaces 
in both the free-for-all and " Maiden " contests. 
In the first-named were such companies as the 
Light Guard, of Houston, Montgomery Grays, 
and Mobile Rifle Company. The Lomax took 
first prize in the maiden drill over Company F ; 
Louisville Legion second, and Montgomery 
True Blues third ; while in the free-for-all they 
were a close fourth to the rifle company. In 
July, 1885, they entered the drill at Philadel- 
phia and took third prize. This company won 
great praise by the stand they took on the 
question of admitting colored companies to the 
drill. The full dress in which they drill is 
dark blue coat, white trousers, blue helmet with 
white buffalo plume and white waist-belt. 



THE LOUISIANA RIFLES, 

NEW ORLEANS. 

The company was organized six years ago, 
with Capt. John Woods in command, and is 
unattached to any regiment. It saw service at 
the riot of New Iberia, in September, 1884 ; 
and on April 23, 1885, was reorganized. It has 
been in five drills, winning first place in two. 
Its drill team is as follows : 

Capt., C. H. Adams : first lieutenant, R. Cou- 
turie ; second lieut., O. T. Maier ; junior lieut., 
Eugene Pujol ; right guide, Henry T. Oviatt ; 
left guide, John A. Duffy; corporals, August 
Eeichbosn, H. P. McLean, P. Moses, R. Bern- 
hardt. 

Privates : R. E. L. Mclntyre, M. Woulfe, H. 
H. Casson, L. J. Fallon, L. V. Daner, George 
Blumenthal, W. Jordan, Chris Rolling, A. H. 
Parker, jr., S. Hernandez, W. H. Virgin, A. P. 
Barber, Charles A.uth, P. Viosca, A. A. Fatjo, 
E. T. Adams, George Solamon, S. D. Marks, H. 
A. Marks, R. A. Oriol. 

Substitutes : I. W. Ball, Charles Schwandt, 
J. Boissoneau, Fred. Reynoir, Joseph Hart, 
H. S. Green, Wallace J. Johnson, M. E. Stack, 
Samuel Monroe, C. Moses, cpiartermaster-sergt. , 
A P. Blum, bugler L. P. Pavia. 



THE LOMAX RIFLES, 

MOBILE, ALA., 

Were organized June 3, 1883, with F. P. Davis 
as captain, and J. C. Rich and E. S. Perryman, 



THE VICKSBURG SOUTHRONS 
Is an organization famous throughout the South 
and fast winning an enviable name for itself in 
the North. The company is technically known 
as Company A, First Regiment Mississippi 
State Troops, and was originally organized in 
1839 as Company C Mississippi Rifles. It did 



343 



valiant service in the Mexican war, and rested 
on the laurels it there gained until the civil 
war broke out, when the company again went 
to the front. It did battle at Antietam, Sharps- 
burg, the seven days' fight around Richmond, 
closing with the slaughter at Malvern Hill, 
Fredericksburg, the Wilderness, Savage Sta- 
tion, Chickamauga and Petersburgh. In 1868 
it organized under Captain E S. Butts, and it 
began to appear in drills about three years ago 
when commanded by Capt. John A. Klein, jr. 
Since then it has entered six drills, taking five 
first prizes and one second prize, the former at 
Meridian, 1883 ; Greenville, July, 1885 ; Aber- 
deen, October, 1885 ; Savannah, May, 1886, and 
Jackson, 1886 ; and the latter at Vicksburg, 
1885. Its national drill team is as follows : 

Capt. C. J. Searles, First Lieut. Patrick 
Henry, Second Lieut. Charles W. Adams ; 
Eight Guide, A. A. Martin ; Left Guide, R. L. 
Auther ; Color Bearers, H. Rockwood, W. H. 
Brooke ; privates, Stacey Compton, W. R. 
Luckett, W. 0. Smith, G. H. Smith, James 
Edwards, Wm. Reed, A. G. Tillman, D. 
Broughton, R. H. Broughton, E. A. Webb, J. 
R. Marlett, N. J. Bozinsky, Henry Winstin, F. 
H. Broughton, T. H. Shields, T. R. White, M. 
F. Tanse, E. Shaw, E. Sartorious, W. U. Klein, 
J. Horntbol, M. Horntbol, A. Baer, R. C. Moore, 
S. Bazinsky, Charles Beer, A. M. Searles, H. J. 
Trowbridge, W. Mattingly, R. Wilkenson, W. 
Hamilton, F. G. Harwood. 



BELKNAP RIFLES, 

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. 

Their organization dates from June 1, 1884, 
but they did not receive their arms and equip- 
ments until six months later. Six months 
later, June, 1885, they participated in a com- 
petitive drill at Lampasso, Tex., where they 
took second place. Their next victory was at 
San Antonio, Tex. , defeating a number of com- 
panies which have since made records for them- 
selves. Their next victory was at Galveston, 
Tex., August, 1886, where they took second 
place. The command has been called into ser- 
vice only once by the Governor, which was for 
the purpose of quelling a Mexican political riot 
at Laredo, Tex. 

The company is named after Col. Augustus 
Belknap, late of the Seventh New York Regi- 
ment, and now president of the San Antonio 
Street Railway Company. He has lost no op- 



portunity to show them his appreciation, finan- 
cially or otherwise. 

This company is called the kids, from the 
fact that its members range in age from seven- 
teen to nineteen years. Their uniform is al- 
most a fac-simile of the full dress of the United 
States artillery, viz., dark blue coat, red trim- 
mings, lighter blue pantaloons, red stripe, white 
helmet, and red plume. The following is the 
roster : 

Captain, R. R. Green ; first lieutenant, H. L. 
Howard ; Second lieutenant, E. W. Richard- 
son ; right guide, W. P. Rote; left guide, C. 
Baker ; corporals, P. H. Shook, J. Simpson, J. 
F. Green, and H. I. Arnold ; privates, M. 
Becker, L. B. Camp, G. Chamberlain, E. G. 
Chislik, J. Evans, J. Finlay, M. Fues, A. Ditt- 
mar, G. Hines, A. Kissling, John Kissling, J. 
C. Mabry, E. M. Muenzenberger, P. C. Rich- 
ardson, E. G. Seng, J. T. Treugg, J. W. Tobin, 
W. G. Tobin, B. Verga, and D. Watts ; reserves, 

B. Ashford, J. Clavin, L. Earnest, J. Hosack, 

C. Tobin, and J. Welfh. 



SAN ANTONIO RIFLES, 

As Company A, Third Regiment, Texas Volun- 
teer Guards, is known, is in every respect a 
fine company. It was organized on May 26, 
1886, with C. N. Granger as captain and H. E. 
Vernon and Fred Smith as lieutenants. 

The company has an honorable record. It 
was called into service in April of last year by 
the Governor of Texas to quell the political 
riot at Laredo. It has been in three drills, as 
follows : San Antonio Volksfest, October, 1885, 
second prize ; Texas State Camp, Lampasas, 
first prize ; Galveston Camp, first prize. Its 
present membership is as follows : 

Captain, F. J. Badger ; first lieutenant, Wm. 
L. Herff ; second lieutenant, P. J. Lewis ; first 
sergeant, James R. Gordon ; second sergeant, 
Marion Foster ; corporals, Ed. Terry, C. H. 
Florian, John O. Trueheart, G. W. Sampson; 
secretary and treasurer, H. G. Strake ; quarter- 
master, J. W. Woodson ; privates, Wm. Ander- 
son, H. M. Aubrey, M. M. Bright, W. W. Camp- 
bell, William Campbell, J. C. Caie, George H. 
Clifford, W. H. Cooley, James W. Crate, Alf. 
Deckman, A. E. Devine, J. J. Dickenson, J. H. 
Douglass, David E. Fleming, Paul A. Florian, 
James V. French, O. Gunther, C. E. Griesen- 
beck, John A. Green, jr. , Alf. Hariesen, H. T. 
Herndon, M. J. Kewett, C. H. Hardenburgh, 



'dU 



H. M. Hord, H. Huber, John J. Meyers, A. 
McK. Mullings, E. A. Oakley, Erastus Reed, 
Even C. lteed, Calvin D. Rice, Ernest Richter, 
A. C. Shell, Frank M. Stockton, W. H. Story, 
W. E. Schofield, E. W. Swart, Harry Wassen, 
E. J. Walton, Du Yal West, T. B. Wren, John 
Withers, jr., W. M. Ziegler. 

CO. D, FIRST REGIMENT MINN. NA- 
TIONAL GUARDS, 
Was first organized Feb. 10, 1881, under C. A. 
Biegler. In July, '82, it won the first prize in 
the State drill at Faribault. At Minneapolis in 
Aug., 83. it won the first prize in State Drill. 
At Lake Minnetonka Juue 14, '84, the company 
won the first prize in an interstate contest. At 
Dubucpie, in June, '84, the fourth prize was 
taken by the company in competition with the 
best companies in the United States. 

The company has given an exhibition drill 
in the Armory of the 12th Regiment, New York 
National Guards, New York city, and won high 
praise and special orders of thanks from the 
Governor. Their Drill team comprises the fol- 
lowing : 

Captain, Ed. S. Bean; 1st. Lieut., Chas. E. 
Metz ; 2d Lieut.,. H. W. Tenvoorde ; Right 
Guide, Geo. E. Roedler ; Left Guide, Ed. J. 
Borscht. 

Privates : Geo. R. Blodgett, Gus. H. Brose, 
C. H. Clark, E. C. Cromwell, Henry Defiel, Geo. 
W. Eckles, J. B. Gunther, J. H. Hoffman, J. C. 
Hardy, Wm. Hamssler, F. H. Haupt, Gates A. 
Johnson, Jr. , A. J. Kohlert, Geo. Kohlert, A. H. 
Kohlert, J. A. Camp, T. D. Lovering, M. L. 
Merrill, J. B. Metz, F. C. Nelson, C. D. Strong, 
E. E. Schooly, U. G. Wray, C. E. Watkins. 

Substitutes : E. S. Davis, Walter Doherty, E. 
N. Hazzard, L. H. Henschel, Max E. Kost, J. 
L. Stack, E. Shroeder, Geo. W. Taff. — 

MUSCATINE RIFLES. 

Company G, Second Regiment Iowa National 
Guards, are among the veteran companies which 
appear at Camp George Washington. Since its 
organization it has entered twelve drills, and 
captured nine first prizes, one second, and one 
third. This is one of the crack companies of 
the country, and holds a rank among the very 
highest for discipline and efficiency. The pres- 
ent roster of the company, from which the drill 
team will be chosen, is as follows : 

Captain, C. F. Garlock ; 1st lieut., D. V. 
Jackson ; 2d lieut., W. A. Blakeney ; sergeants, 



Chet Lillibridge, L. C. Crossman, J. T. David- 
son, D. P. Jackson ; corporals, W. L. Thomp- 
son, E. M. Hoover, A. Reuling, H. C. Page. 

Privates : Al. Austin, C. H. Bartlett, Paul 
Bartlett, J. H. Battey, Sam'l Borger, F. Bpyd- 
ston, Ed. Butts, W. F. Bishop, W. D. Burk, G. 
Bowman, Samuel Block, E. Collins, C. Cum- 
mins, G. W. Dillaway, Harry Dean, D. T. 
Eaton, Frank Erb, C. K. Gurley, H. W. Harris, 
H. Hutting, W. A. Hawley, J. R. Hanley, J. B. 
Jester, J. M. Kemble, C. Kemble, F. H. Kin- 
caid, Geo. Kincaid, A. Kennedy, F. Lambert, 
H. Leyda, H. J. Lander, A. W. Lee, C. P. 
Lewis, P. J. Mackey, E. G. Magoon, Rob't Mc- 
Nutt, H. W. Morgridge, C. A. Mull, J. E. Mur- 
phy, W. G. Munroe, F. Munroe, A. G. McColm, 
Ed. McColm, Drew Musser, W. McCabe, F. A 
Neidig, C. N. Page, A. K. Raff, Jo. Scott, E. 
C. Stocker, C. H. Sterneman, J. S. Sterneman, 
W. C. Schenck, James Selden, J. J. Shafnit, 
H. Smalley, F. Whidur, C. Washburn. 



THE FIRST LIGHT BATTERY, W. N. G., 

MILWAUKEE, WIS., 

Was organized in May, 1885, and in its two 
years' existence has made rapid progress in 
every respect under the command of Capt. I. 
B. Oliver. 

None of the men have seen service except 
Capt. Oliver, who enlisted iu April, 1861, as a 
private in the Milwaukee Zouaves, which was 
assigned to the Fifth Wisconsin Infantry, Com- 
pany B. He rose to the captaincy of the com- 
pany and served with his command in the Army 
of the Potomac under McClellan, Burnside, and 
Hooker. On the retreat down the Peninsula, 
and the advance to South Mountain and Antie- 
tam, Capt. Oliver was an aide on Gen. Han- 
cock's staff. 

The muster roll of the company is as follows : 
Captain, Joseph B. Oliver ; first lieutenants, 
William B. Roberts, Henry M. Thompson, J. 
A. McLeod ; second lieutenant, George A. 
Streeter ; first sergeant, Benjamin H. Dally ; 
quartermaster sergeant, Howard J. Gilson ; ser- 
geants, Frank J. Williams, A. G. Lemmenes, 
Philip V. O. Van Vechten, and G. W. Dickens ; 
corporals, George S. Bush, H. W. Ellis, Frank 
R. Pingree, Charles H. Mulholland, J. H. Del- 
liker, William H. Faville, Arthur E. Campbell, 
and Jere M. Kinney ; buglers, William K. Har- 
ris and Oscar B. Zwietusch ; guidon, J. Mills 
Campbell. 



345 



Privates, Charles S. Allanson, Cyrus W. Allen, 
Henry W. Allen, R. P. Bacon, John S. Batch- 
elor, Frank G. Birkel, P. W. Booth, Ban R, 
Brigham, James A. Cheyne, Wm. M. Courtenay, 
Win, F. Crosby, Charles C. Cutter, P. F. Dela 
Hunt, Thomas P. Dever, Wm. M. De Wolf , F. E. 
Drake, A. H. Fitz, Chas. D. Fraser, Walter F. 
Gregg, T. F. Hannifin, Adolph S. Hosch, Thos. 
F. Howe, Edward H. Holmes, Fred. C. Hun- 
.tington, Leon W. Katzenstein, J. A. Kittredge, 
Wm. Lyman, F. Kepler, Sheridan Knowles,- 
Chas. M. Mortimer, John J. Maurer, Wm. 
Mitchell, J. W. O'Niell, Thomas F. Nevill, Chas. 
F. Nowell, George F. O'Neil, David C. Owen, 
Allan C. Place, Frank Riddell, C. C. Southwell, 
Jos. P. Schubert, Win. J. Scott, Charles J. 
Smith, L. M. Steiner, E. A. Sanborn, Fred. H. 
Thayer, Will Wegg, E. H. Williams. 



ALEXANDEIA LIGHT INFANTRY. 

The Alexandria Light Infantry, Company F, 
Third Regiment, Virginia Volunteers, was or- 
ganized in June, 1877. Its first captain was 
Francis Lee Smith ; its next captain was 
George McBurney. jr., and its present cap- 
tain is George N. Mushbach, whose commis- 
sion bears date January 12, 1883. This com- 
mand is the largest company in the State, hav- 
ing eighty-three men on its rolls, fifty-four of 
whom are at the drill. It participated in the 
dedication of the Thomas statue and of the 
Washington Monument ; the obsequies in New 
York of Gen. Grant ; the inauguration of Presi- 
dent Cleveland, and in numerous parades in 
different parts of the country. Samuel L. 
Monroe is its first lieutenant and Albert Bryan 
is second lieutenant. 

This company has taken part in the follow- 
ing prize drills : At Lynchburgh, August 7, 
1884, won first prize ; at Richmond, October 
23, 1884, took fourth place ; at Richmond, Oc- 
tober 24, 1884, won first prize ; at Philadel- 
phia, July 3, 1885, won $500 prize ; at Lynch- 
burg, October 14, 1885, won first prize, and at 
Richmond, October 20, 1886, took second place 
in first competition and first prize in the second 
competition. 

The company has two uniforms, viz : The 
State regulation, consisting of gray tunic trim- 
med with white, light blue trousers and hel- 
mets, and a dress uniform, consisting of a 
scarlet swallow-tail coat trimmed with blue and 



gold, dark blue trousers with scarlet stripe and 
black lynx shako. 

The company is entered for the infantry 
company competition. The roster of the com- 
mand, as it will go into camp, is as follows : 
Capt. George A. Mushbach; First Lieut., S. L. 
Monroe; Second Lieut., A. Bryan ; Sergts., M. 
P. Vincent, L. Marbury. T. W. Robinson, and 
J. M. Hill; Corps., J. M. Kells, R. L. Tyler, J. 
D.-H. Lunt, and J. D. Stanton ; Privates, R. H. 
Atkinson, Green, Jacobs, Douglas, Padgett, 
Hall, Harper, Ochlart, Linstein, Lomax, Norris, 
Cook, Lanham, D. J. Downey, Baldwin, Swain, 
Henderson, Graham, C. W. Wattles, Bayliss, 
Hinkew, Simpson, De Vaughn, F. W. Deeton, 
A. D. Deeton, Hudson, W. H. Taylor, W. T. 
Taylor, G. 0. Monroe, Kraft, Wallor, Burke, 
Bladen, Washington, Hooe, West, Miller, 
Kramer, Pettit, Schules, Wood, J. A. Aitche- 
son, and J. F. Aitcheson. 



RHODE ISLAND'S BATTALION. 

The Fifth Rhode Island Battalion is the fa- 
mous " Irish Battalion " of that State. Its 
organization dates from October, 1885, and it 
passed through a vai-ied history until 1879, 
when it was reorganized. Col. James Moran 
was elected lieutenant colonel, being his third 
re-election to that office, and he has held it 
ever since. Its headquarters are at Providence, 
and its roster is as follows : 

Field and staff, Lieutenant-Colonel James 
Moran, commanding ; major, Edwin D. Mc- 
Guinness ; adjutant, First Lieutenant John J. 
Devenish ; quartermaster, First Lieutenant 
James E. Downey ; commissary subsistence, 
First Lieutenant Thomas Brady ; paymaster, 
First Lieutenant Timothy E. Dwyer ; chaplain, 
Rev. Christopher Hughes. 

Non-commissioned staff — Sergeant Major, 
P. E. O'Neal; commanding sergeant, Patrick 
McElroy ; quartermaster sergeant, John F. Mc- 
Donough; hospital steward, John H. Benson. 

Company A. , Meagher Guards — Captain Ber- 
nard Hackett ; lieutenants, Robert H. Orms- 
bee, John Kelly. Company B., Wolf Tone 
Guards — Captain, William McPherson ; lieu- 
tenants, Thomas C. Donohue, William J. Dil- 
lon. Company C, Kearney Light Infantry — 
Captain, John Neany ; lieutenants, Thos. 
Curran, John Walsh. Company D., Emmef 
Guards — Captain, Anthony Mungiven; lieu- 
tenants, J. E. Reilly and Conley. 



346 



FORSYTH RIFLES. 
The history of the Forsyth Riflemen, of Win- 
ston, N. C, dates back three-quarters of a cen- 
tury, and the command has participated in 
three wars since it was first organized by Col. 
Benjamin Forsyth February 18, 1812. Col. 
Forsyth was killed in a skirmish on the Cana- 
dian frontier, but the company continued in 
the service until the close of the war, when it 
was disbanded in Norfolk, Va. January 16, 
1846, it was reorganized, and served through 
the Mexican War, under Capt. P. M. Henry, as 
Company G, First North Carolina Troop. In 
1849 it was again disbanded. May 20, 1861, the 
Forsyth Riflemen were again organized, and 
went in the Army of Northern Virginia, under 
Col. A. H. Belo, the present editor of the Gal- 
veston News, as Company D, Twenty-first N. C . 
I., Jackson's Second Army Corps. After Ap- 
pomattox they were again disbanded, to be 
again reorganized January 7, 1883, as Com- 
pany A, Third Regiment, N. C. S. G. The 
company numbers thirty-two non-commis- 
sioned officers aud privates, under Captain W. 
T. Gray, First Lieut. J. C. Bessent, and Sec- 
ond Lieut. F. H. White. 

CUSTER GUARDS, 

OF GRAND EAPIDS, MICH., 

was organized on Washington's birthday, Feb- 
ruary 22, 1882, with a large membership, and 
C. H. Rose was elected captain. In August of 
the same year the Guards attended its first en- 
campment, and was there looked upon as the 
" baby of the brigade," being then only two 
months old. 

Nothing of note occurred, except the regular 
annual encampments, until 1886, when they 
entered their first prize drill at Muskegon, 
Mich., July 5, and succeeded in taking first 
prize, drilling against three companies. In 
September of the same year they participated 
in the prize drill at Jackson, Mich., with five 
of the best companies in the State, taking third 
pfize there. 

The company is now in first-class condition, 
and its future prospects are good. It makes a 
handsome appearance in camp, and will com- 
pare favorably with many of the older organ- 
isations. After their return from Camp George 
Washington, the Custer Guard will prepare for 
a trip to Chicago in the fall. 



THE GRAND RAPIDS GUARDS. 

The GrandRapids Guards, Company B, Sec- 
ond Regiment, M. S. I., of Grand Rapids, 
Mich., is the oldest military company in that 
city, and one of the oldest in the State.. It 
was organized June 27, 1872, and mustered 
into the service of the State November 26 of 
the same year. The present commander of 
Michigan's troops, Brig. Genl. J. C. Smith, 
was one of its first captains, and several prom- 
inent officers in the State service were pro- 
moted from its ranks. The company was one 
of those chosen to attend the celebration of 
Yorktown in October, 1871, but of its present 
membership of twelve only the present officers 
were members at that time. The company has 
only taken part in two prize drills, both in the 
State, and in both of which they were suc- 
cessful. 

Their new dress uniforms, received but a 
few days previous to their departure for Wash- 
ington, are very neat and tasty. The coat is 
similar to the regulation full dress for field 
officers, and is of dark blue cloth. The trow- 
sers are of blue with white stripe. The belt 
is of white enameled leather, as is also the 
cartridge box, with a nickel plated bayonet 
scabbard. The head-gear is a fifteen-inch fox- 
skin shako, with gilt tassel and chin chain. 
The company badge is a red diamond, which 
the members wear on their fatigue caps and on 
the collars of their fatigue coats. 

The following is the roster of the company 
at Camp George Washington : 

Captain, M. A. Heyman ; First Lieutenant, 
J. D. Kromer; Second Lieutenant, W. S. Kin- 
ney ; First Sergeants, S. Schrouder, D. G. 
Crawford. William Ickler ; Corporals, J. H. 
Taylor, F. P. Van Buren, F. T. Rand, I. Green- 
baum, L. N. Spurig, J. O. McCool, F. Elston ; 
Privates, O. Bonney, F. Curtiss, Fred Deane, 
O. W. Duram, S. A. Emery, F. France, H. 
Fiebig, H. Houseman, J. J. Howell, H. G. 
Krekel, C. H. Libby, H. H. May, George Mc- 
Innes, Ch. Neuchterlein, W. A. Simmons, C. J. 
Schnabel, J. Werner, Robert E. Porter. 



THE WASHINGTON LIGHT INFANTRY 
CORPS. 

Was first organized in May, 1836 ; it was then a 
single company of infantry, with Captain John 
A. Blake in command. Down to 1861 they 
took a leading part in public occasions, inaugu- 



347 



rations of the Presidents, and parades con- 
nected with public events in the city. In 1861 
it was accepted in the United States service for 
three months under the command of Captain 
Lemuel Towers. In 1871 the company was 
reorganized under the command of Captain 
William G. Moore, and by the addition of com- 
panies B, C, and D, a battalion was organ- 
ized under the command of Col. W. G. Moore. 
B company, under Cap. W. Boss, won a trophy 
at Baltimore in 1885. Up to this time the 
Washington Light Infantry Corps have not en- 
tered in battalion competition ; at the present 
time the organization is in admirable shape, 
having one of the finest armories in the United 
States ; the ranks are completely filled and the 
utmost interest is taken in the corps, its drill 
and discipline by the officers and members. Its 
honorary members embrace the best class of 
citizens of the District. The present roster of 
the battalion is as follows : 

Lieut. Col. Wm. G. Moore, commanding ; 1st 
Lieut. W- H. Harrison, adjutant ; 1st Lieut. 
Geo. Breitbarth, quartermaster ; Surgeon, Capt. 
Hamilton E. Leach ; Inspector Rifle Practice, 
1st Lieut. J. M. Pollard ; Judge Advocate, 1st 
Lieut. Harrison Dingman ; Com. Subs., 1st 
Lieut. Allison Nailor, jr.; Ord. Officer, 1st 
Lieut. E. G. Wheeler ; Inspector, 1st Lieut. 
A. W. Kelly. 

Non-commissioned Staff : Sergt. Major, C. 
M. C. Loeffler; Qr.-Mr. Sergt., W. F. Heroett ; 
Hosp. Steward, George Wooldridge. 

Company A — Captain, W. N. Dalton ; first 
lieutenant, J. G. Cowie ; first sergeant, H. 
Keough ; second sergeant, H. B. C. Shaw ; 
corporals, E. E. Moore and W. M. Arnold ; 
privates, J. S. Wade, E. S. Brandt, G. S. Clift, 
C. A. Dunnington, A. Demonet, M. B. Fenwick, 
S. W. Henry, E. A. Hellig, H. C. James, B. S. 
Jones, J. E. Keefe, F. Moore, F. T. Maloney, 
J. T. Murray, J. E. Payne, F. M. St. John, F. 
Shoemaker, P. S. Schneider, J. W. Talbert, G. 

C. Thomas, J. H. Tegeler, M. C. Thompson, E. 

D. Brown, and L. Nunes. 

Company B, of the Washington Light In- 
fantry, will compete in the Drill with the fol- 
lowing team : Capt. B. B. Boss ; First Lieut., 
W. L. Cash; Second Lieut., B. H. Wade; 
First Sergt., Charles T. Conrad ; Second Sergt., 
F. H. Padgett; Corporals, W. E. Thompson, 
J. H. Kruger, J. S. Ashburn, and W. E. Wise ; 
Privates, D. S. Johnson, J. T. Burdine, S. T. 
Boiseau, H. E. French, J. F. Grant, W. G. 



Hall, J. C. Knight, J. H. McCann, J. G. Moore, 
F. McLathery, F. L. Ourand, H. 0. Plugge, 
T. B. Walker, 0. B. Shomo, D. W. Zantzinger, 
Oscar Cissel, G. F. McAvoy, Geo, W. Engel, 
and E. C. Buebisam. 

Company C. — Captain, J. C. Entwisle ; first 
lieutenant, C. H. Ourand ; first sergeant, W. F. 
Dunn ; second sergeant, B. F. Kirchner ; cor- 
porals, S. Thorn, J. H. Carll. Privates— H. Y. 
Brooke, B. T. Fahey, H. I. Hall, W. L. Hum- 
phrey, A. S. Imirie, B. J. Iseman, J. Krouse, 
H. Kimmel, C. H. Kettler, W. B. McDaniel, W. 
H. Nash, E. Phillips, F. W. Plugge, E. P. 
Pumphrey, B. C. Palmer, F. Bogerson, S. Bob- 
inson, A. E. Sardo, jr.,B. T. Scott, J. J. Shug- 
rue, D. D. Tompkins, jr., E. Taylor. 

Company D. — Captain, Jno. S. Miller ; lieu- 
tenant, P. J. Duffy ; first sergeant, Howard 
Beall ; second sergeant, G. W. Egleston ; cor- 
porals, S. G. Wise, T. W. Shomo ; privates, T. 
S. Ashley, J. E. Cunegan, W. E. Dix, A. J. Ed- 
wards, F. H. Eberle, T. L. Koontz, J. B. W. 
Lee, E. W. Mackintosh, H. F. Mace, J. E. Mat- 
tern, C. M. Merrill, F. H. Miller, A. Murray, 
D. G. Myers, L. A. Boginski, J. T. Seibold, W. 
H. Stearns, J. H. Somerville, G. H. Tucker, 
W. H. Wright, E. F. Vermillion, Edward Zea ; 
substitutes, C. E. Burdine, J. B. Gemmill, M. 
Hunter, C. A. McNally, C. L. Martin, B. B. 
Pridcnard, W. T. Treadway. 

THE NATIONAL BIFLES. 
The organization of the National Bifles dates 
from November, 1859, and, under the captaincy 
of Frank B. Shaffer, it obtained a very high 
mark in discipline and drill during the outbreak 
of the war. A division took place in the com- 
pany, many of the officers joining their south- 
ern comrades, and the remainder were organ- 
ized and mustered in the United States serviee 
on the 10th April, 1861. Later they were at- 
tached as Company A of the Third Battalion, 
District Volunteers. They were the first com- 
pany that crossed the Potomac river on May 
24th, at the advance of the Union armies. The 
Bifles were again reorganized on June 9, 1880, 
under Capt. J. 0. P. Burnside, who was suc- 
ceeded two years later by Capt. James F. Oys- 
ter ; the subalterns were first lieut., J. L. Man- 
son ; second lieut., George W. Evans ; third 
lieut., W. C. Keech. The Company has com- 
peted in several drills, and won a prize in the 
competition at Baltimore, 1885. The drill team 
which will be present at the contest are : 



348 



1st Lieut. , J. 0. Manson, commanding ; 2d 
Lieut., Geo. W. Evans; Jr. 2d Lieut., Wm. C. 
Keech. Right guide, William P. Boteler ; Left 
guide, Willis B. Magruder. Privates, Blois, U. 
L. Boyer, J. L. Boyer, Burnett, Collins, Dent, 
Domer, Drury, Garner, Holmes, Lown, Mc- 
Derniot, Mitchell, Mosher, McLain, Overbeck, 
Paige, Shirley, Stokes, S. E. Tomlinson, T. A. 
Tomlinson, Way, Woodley, Wright. Substi- 
tutes, Evans, Hamilton, Hodgkins, Taylor. 



THE WASHINGTON CADET CORPS. 
Company A, Washington Cadet Corps, is 
commanded by Capt. Arthur Brooks, the senior 
captain of the battalion, "and an excellent com- 
pany officer. The corps was organized June 
12, 1880, as a single company, and so remained 
until October, 1884, when, on account of the 
large increase in its membership, it was organ- 
ized into a battalion of three companies, and 
the year following a fourth company was added, 
making it as now a battalion of four com- 
panies. Within the present month it has been 
recruited up to its maximun, and now numbers 
■150 men, including officers, band, and men. 
Its only previous appearance as a competitor 
in a prize-drill was in October, 1883, at the 
Athletic Park, in this city, the competing com- 
panies being Company A, Washington Cadet 
Corps, Capt. C. A. Fleetwood, commanding ; 
Company A., Butler Zouaves, Capt. C. B. Fisher, 
commanding ; Company A, Capital City Guard, 
Capt. T. S. Kelly, commanding ; Company 
B, Capital City Guard, Capt. W. P. Gray, 
commanding ; and the Lincoln Light In- 
fantry, Capt. Wm. Cornell, commanding. 
The prize, a magnificent silver cup, donated by 
Mr. Jno. W. Boteler, of this city, still adorns 
the armory of the Washington Cadet Corps, 
708 O street, northwest. 

COMPLETE ROSTER OF THE FIVE COM- 
PANIES OF 2d OHIO REGIMENT, 
COL. J. C. HOWE. 

( For Field and Staff Officers see previous 
pages). 
Company B, of Upper Sandusky : Captain; 
W. F. Metz ; first lieutenant, George Foster ; 
second lieutenant, William Hitchcock ; first 
sergeant, Charles Liebenthal ; second sergeant, 
George Scheck ; third sergeant, M. C. Kelly ; 
privates, E. A. Henderson, I. Smalley, F. Mc- 
Ginnis, Charles Cramer, Jacob Leidle, William 



Rae, M. G. Courts, Ossat Brown, J. Widman, 
Hudson Lime, James Walters, Frank Dennis. 
Joseph Glosier, Frank Tschauer, Virgil Gibson, 
John Buetzcher, William Orsmeyer, Henry 
School, Frank Applegate, Henry Hale, R. 
Hale. 

Company C, of Lima : Captain, Frank M. 
Bell ; first lieutenant, Oscar S. Mowen ; first 
sergeant, John Hoover ; second sergeant, John 
Bailey ; third sergeant, Harry C. Bell ; first 
corporal, B. H. Hoover ; second corporal, Ed. 
Rutledge ; third corporal, Dolph Bowen ; fourth 
corporal, George Harper ; fifth corporal, Chas. 
Coleman ; privates, Benton Armstrong, Arlie 
Ashton, Frank Boone, Alvin Buckler, Frank 
Carter, Asa A. Catt, Fred Crum, Clew Eyster, 
E. E. Frazier, William Gibbs, George Johns, 
Charles McComb, A. J. Morris, William Pan- 
gle, F. C. Partello, William Rowland, Frank 
Smith, William Webler, Low Sleven. M. 
Shwyer, William Morris. William Snook. 

Company D, of Van Wert, O. : Captain, John 
Rison ; first lieutenant, N. P. Danner ; second 
lieutenant, Tom M. Smith ; first sergeant, G. 
L. Rison ; second sergeant, Peter Stump ; 
third sergeant, Pearson H. Miller ; fourth ser- 
geant, Millard M. Hinton ; fifth sergeant, W. 
S. Bechtol ; first corporal, Edd Conn ; second 
corporal, Al. Kuhl ; third corporal, W. G. Cor- 
rathers ; fourth corporal, J. W. Albright : fifth 
corporal, G. F. Lambkin ; sixth corporal, D. 
C. Rison, Jr. ; seventh corporal, L. F. Ries ; 
eighth corporal, Charles Redrup ; privates, 
Louis Armtrout, James Athey, William Bailey, 
B. Balyeat, W. S. Camp, F. Cheesman, Elmer 
Conn, R. C. Craig, Perry Fox, Walter Gleason, 
Omar Gamble, Emmett Gamble, H. H. Hin- 
ton, Elias Hinton, John J. Kutsch, K. Link- 
hart, John McCleary, Thomas M. Naritz, E. F. 
Parker, S. F. Purmont, John Peterman, W H. 
Rison, George Redrup, E. Raker, H. E. Stitz, 
Ed. Stitz, H. Shurtiff, G. W. Spahr, J. B. Jaw- 
vel, James Scott, John O. Wartz, D. L. Welsch, 
Charles Welsch, G. W. Watson, York Wash- 
ington, J. H. Wade. 

Company G, of Kenton : First lieutenant, J. 
A. Kenrt ; second lieutenant, J. B. Born ; first 
sergeant, Geo. E. Mitchell ; second sergeant, 
W. T. Born ; privates, H. J. Reely, J. B. Aull, 
Jesse Stephenson, John Dugan, M. Zimmerman, 
S. H. Brick, P. M. Crow, H. Edsell, Chas. 
Faran, David Gooden, Sam James, John Jor- 
dan, N. H. Linton, Harry Lott, Theo. Ochs, 
Frank Schoonorn, M. H. Seming, Henry Suter- 



349 



weister, Willis Wilson, Geo. Van Eiper, W. L. 
Young, Scott Carr. 

Company H, of Bloomdale : Captain, E. S- 
Bryant ; first lieutenant, W. W. Emerson ; sec- 
ond lieutenant, J. J. Ullery ; first sergeant^ 
James Linhart ; second sergeant, C. G-. Bron- 
son ; privates, J. B. Fry, S. Davis, L. Alcott, 
R. B. Mondy, William Burkey, D. Woods, John 
P. Beam, C. H. Bryant, J. B. Linhardt, Charles 
Schafer, William Miller, A. W. Adams, Charles 
Wineland, J. D. Baldwin, C. P. Simon, William 
Wineland, W. Sadler, T. J. Sadler, W. C. 
Bryant, Ed. Meyers, G. E. Rice, E. Wineland, 
Jacob Wineland, R. A. McKee, H. S. McKee, 
J. M. Davis, H. B. Hiscock, T. C. Poe, J. Low- 
man, P. Bronsoh, M. A. Probert, S. E. Purkey, 
0. J. Sheats., S. M. Swindless, G. W. Uris, H. 
M. Hosier, E. R. Stillwell, H. M. Elliott, J. W. 
Smith, Frank Pevine, Charles Davis, E. M. 
Freis, C. A. Muse, C. A. Leit. 

MINNEAPOLIS LIGHT INFANTRY. 

Company A, First N. G. S. M. , from Minne- 
apolis, is a fine looking body of young men, 
who, while they expect to stand up near the 
head, hardly hope for first prize, which they 
expect their sister company from St. Paul, 
company D of the same regiment, to carry back 
to the twin cities of the great northwest. The 
company is composed of the following young 
men : , 

Captain, J. L. Amory ; first lieutenant, F. W. 
Ames ; second lieutenant, J. S. Taylor ; first 
sergeant, T. P. A. Howe ; second sergeant, W. 
O. Falk ; privates, F. H. Hudson, L. Fournis, 
T. H. Lieben, Frederick Chambers, G. E. Wil- 
son, H. L. Brooks, Eli King, Chas. Esplin, S. 

F. French, J. Woodbury, R. F. Pray, A. W. 
Little, S. A. Miller, N. C. Goodnough, D. F. 
Fitzgerald, E. G. Falk, S. G. Williams, H. F. 
Nyman, W. J. Wilson, W. I. Thompson, W. D. 
Rundy, A. A. Ames, B. E. Trask, F. D. Dassett, 
A. W. McCallum, J. M. Warnock, J. K. Lane, 
D. Erickson, H. D. Adams, W. D. McWade, N. 
J. McDunnough, J. H. Romdenne, C. L. 
Jacoby, P. M. Sching, O. E. Goodrich, J. A. 
Ames, W. H. Clarke, E. C. Larpenter, W. M. 
Spaulding, C. E. Withberger, W. H. H. James, 

G. R. Bickler. 



THE CHICAGO ZOUAVES. 

This find body of active, well-drilled men, 
forty-six in number, is under the command of 



Col. Bennett. The other officers are Maj. 
Munroe, Capt. McClaughrey, and Lieut. Smith, 
quartermaster. Tbey brought all the baggage 
with them which is necessary for camp equip- 
age and drill, except a portable fence. This 
fence is made of close boards, twelve feet high, 
presenting a perfectly smooth surface from the 
side on which it is scaled. The Chicago Zou- 
aves get over this barrier with the same celerity 
that a tom-cat travels over a whitewashed wood- 
shed. If such a fence is erected on the drill 
grounds the Chicago boys will " take it." If 
not, they will scale the high fence surrounding 
the drill ground. The Zouaves will compete 
for a prize. " We are not jubilant at all," says 
the captain, " but we have a good hope for suc- 
cess, founded, we think, upon reasonable 
grounds." The men in this command seem to 
have been selected for their special physical 
adaptedness to that kind of action which the 
zouave drill requires. They are wiry and lis- 
some in build. 

The company was first organized in 1877. 
In 1885 they made a trip to Mobile, Ala., to 
participate in the greatest competitive drill that 
up to that time had ever taken place in the 
United States, nearly every "crack" company 
in the South and West participating. It was at 
this great tournament that the zouaves as- 
tonished both the officers and men of the 
splended companies of the South by scaling a 
fourteen-foot wall in the unprecedented time of 
one minute and twenty seconds, without the 
aid of either ropes or ladders. In this, their 
first contest for a prize, they carried off the sec- 
ond prize in a field of four competitors. Af- 
ter the drill they intend to make a flying trip 
to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York, and 
the boys, one and all, say that if they have to 
march for a whole day they will pay a visit to 
the little city of Elizabeth, N. J., to pay their 
compliments to the celebrated Veteran Zouaves 
of that city, who were entertained by the 
Chicago Zouaves on their return from the G. 
A. R. Encampment at San Francisco. 

The following is the only correct and com- 
plete list of the Zouaves yet published : 

Capt. T. J. Ford; first lieutenant, M. B. 
Lehman ; first sergeant, John J. Thomas ; sec- 
ond sergeant, Theo. Schladweiler ; privates, 
Benjamin Case, K. Brennock, Augustus Lind- 
gen, J. Dawson, J. Lambden, C. Paulson, J. J. 
Fleming, Frank Alt, Charles Perrotte, W. Mohr, 
John Beem, W. Christello, T. J. Ryan, Wm. 



350 



Byrnes, C. Evans, F. Novak, A. Andrews, P. J., 
Farrell, H. J. Ireland, G. J. Carroll, L. Forrest, 
W. Black, J. A. O'Brien, F. Gardner, H. Rhine- 
hardt, J. Murphy, J. Mehan. 

THE LOUISVILLE LEGION. 

This fine body of men occupies a whole sec- 
tion of the camp, and they have already been 
visited by large numbers of Kentuckians in the 
city. They are enjoying themselves, and prom- 
ise to make an excellent record. Their roster 
is as follows : 

Field staff, Louisville Legion. — Commis- 
sioned. — Col. John B. Castleman, Maj. W. H. 
Coen, Maj. James P. Kelley, Capt. D. F. C. 
Weller, ordnance officer ; First Lieut. Arthur 
M. Kutledge, adjutant; First Lieut. W. M. 
Robinson, quartermaster. Non-commissioned — 
Sergeant-major, James B. Smith ; quartermas- 
ter sergeant, J. B. Holloway ; color sergeant, 
R. M. Cunningham. 

Company A.— Captain, Ernest McPherson ; 
First Lieutenant, Joseph M. Sohan ; Second 
Lieutenant, Owen W. Thomas, jr. ; Sergeants, 
J. B. Waggener, George D. Lee, Ed. Lindsey 
(attached), J. S. Beeler ; Quartermaster Ser- 
geant, Thomas E. Johnson ; Corporals, George 
Shafer, Robert D. Fenton, Edward Jobnson, 
George Caspari, W. A. Davis, jr.; Privates, 
Barfield, Brucker, Conrad, Clement, Flynn, 
Goodloe, Hardin, Hall, Hill, Heffner, Howard, 
Meguiar, Octerlong, Shaw, Stanger, Thornton, 
Kreuger, E. R., jr. 

Company B. — Captain, W. L. Hunt; Second 
Lieutenant, E. Marshall ; Sergeants, Jos. H. 
Stultz, E. Wichter, J. M. Miller; Corporals, 
V. G. Venice, J. C. Brooks, Albert Krepper, 
S. McGrath ; Privates, Allen, Bennett, Con- 
nelley, Collings, Clark, Cohn, Drysdale, Devos, 
Ellis, Favre, Faller, Garris, Graham, Hastings, 
Koop, King, Little, Metzger, Noble, Pulford, 
Perry, Owen, Hirsch, Pfeiffer, Stephens, West- 
meir, Trent, Tell; Commissary Sergeant, C. 
Niedringhaus. 

Company C. — Lieut. W. P. Davis command- 
ing ; Lieutenant P. R. Bethson : Sergeants, 
James W. Mitchell, A. Euglehard, James Har- 
rison ; Commissary Sergeant, W. C. Root ; 
Quartermaster, John Winstandley ; Corporals, 
W. Winter, W. S. Clark, C. Cooke ; Privates, 
Anthony, Booth, Barrett, Buyer, Briely, Cal- 
vert, Edwards, Flook, Garrett, Gateley, Hicks, 
Hegenwald, Hesse, Kell, Keating, Klingman, 
Leach, Laverty, Mitchell, Moore, MuUen, 



Marsh, Rankin, Routh, Stapp, Twyman,Warth, 
Zook. 

Company D.- — Captain, D. W. Gray ; First 
Lieutenant, Barton E. Wilkes ; Second Lieu- 
tenant, G. McGowan ; Sergeants, W. S. Clark, 
G. Schmidt, T. B. Bohon ; Quartermaster Ser- 
geant, H. Gray ; Commissary Sergeant, P. L. 
Wilson ; Corporals, H. Brile, J. T. Bate, jr.; 
Privates, Bateman, Beha, Borche, Boseman, 
Baronel,Cashion, Commandeur, Crutcher, Daw- 
son, E. R., Dawson, J. H. M., Ewing, Gras- 
man, Goodloe, Hibden, Hill, Kiefer, Long- 
wither, Leatherman, Laverty, Leslier, Maury, 
Maddox, Navig, Neglincog, jr., Page, Russell, 
Sanders, Schuman, Shanke, Taylor, Watson, 
Winkler, Garauer. 

Drum Major, James Roberts ; Sergeant, 
Frank Swinney ; Privates, Cameron, Camp- 
bell, Cocke, Eastin, Epstein, Franklin, Fre- 
velle, Hecht, Lucas, McDonald, Montgomery, 
Oglesby, Pral,Voght ; Quartermaster Sergeant, 
H. P. Johnson. 

Battery A. — Captain, C. F. Muhlein : First 
Lieutenant, J. H. Manser ; Second Lieutenant, 
A. V. Oldheim ; Sergeants, R. A. Brannon, 
George Francke ; Commissary Sergeant, H. 
Hunter; Quartermaster Sergeant, W.L. Shanks; 
Corporals, M. W. Barkbouse, F. S. Ouerbacker ; 
Guidon, F. W. Bohne. Bollis, Cowen, Schus- 
ter, Davis, Edmonds, Franklin, Golddman, 
Hale, Mank, Paulzer, Smjth, Schultz, Shanks, 
White, and Wigginton. 

OTHER KENTUCKY TROOPS. 

There are also two companies of the third 
regiment, Kentucky State Guards, as follows : 

Company A. — Captain, F. J. Smith ; second 
lieutenant, E. H. Watt ; first sergeant, F. L. 
Strange ; second sergeant, J. A. Wilkins, third 
sergeant, W. Campbell ; fourth sergeant, H. 
E. Winans ; color sergeant, J. O. Burge. Cor- 
porals — First, W. Miller ; second, H. Coombs ; 
third, M. Mitchell ; fourth, E. Grider ; fifth, 
S. Morris. Privates — J. Baker, C. Bryant, V. 
Boaz, J. Barclay, L. Curd, A. Colburn, E. Clay- 
pool, W. Campbell, Floyd, C. Grider, J. 

Hides, J. D. Higgins, H. Kinard, E. Lindner, 
R. Morningstar, E. Meacham, R. Mitchell, E. 
McClurg, Y. Payne, C. Palmer, J. Pendleton, 
J. Perkins, C. G. Laglan, J. Savage, G. Snell, 
L. Starling, C. Threlkille, G. Wilford, J. D. 
Ware and G. Wills. 

Company B. — Captain, Wm. P. Kent ; first 
lieutenant, Charles Cullen ; second lieutenant, 



351 



Chas. Haney ; first sergeant, J. H. Whitehead ; 
second sergeant, Austin Berry ; third sergeant, 
T. Hayes ; fourth sergeant, J. S. "Whitehead ; 
quartermaster sergeant, Lee Radford ; first 
corporal, Roy Miller ; privates, Al. Burke, Wm. 
McDonald, Sam Burns, F. Harrison, S. C. 
Walker, George Philpott, Simon Eger, John 
Clayton, Wm. Jarboe, Gilmore Sweeney, 
Robert Burke, John Bishop, Edgar and B. 
Hickman and Lee Cullen. 



JACKSON RIFLES. 

The Jackson Rifles, of Jackson, Mich., who 
arrived in camp late Sunday night, now occupy 
quarters with the other Michigan troops at the 
southwest corner of the Monument grounds. 
This company was organized in 1882, and now 
stands at the head of the Michigan militia, 
haying carried off the first prize in the State 
drill over ten competing companies. They also 
took second prize at the State drill held in 
Detroit in 1883. The roster of the company 
is as follows : 

Captain, J. Gabelin ; first lieutenant, W. C. 
Cron ; second lieutenant, R. A. Hobert ; third 
lieutenant, Harry Simmons ; first sergeant, L. 
M. Samwald ; second sergeant, H. A. Lin- 
coln ; third sergeant, Frank Lincoln ; fourth, 
sergeant, F. C. Schuffied ; fifth sergeant, 
M. L. Coyendall; corporals, B. Brown, C. 
Berden, G. Whitney, H. Bever, Henry Duty 
and H. D. Nash ; privates, R. A. Burke, H. 
Barber, Dan Pillmore, T. Ryan, John McCabe, 
Charles McCabe, H. Church, F. A. Seamans, 
C. D. Bever, R. A. Gibson, Frank Close, James 
Maloney, P. C. Green, W. M. O'Brien, J. V. 
Legge and Horace Foster. About 100 guests 
accompanied the corps, and are located in vari- 
ous parts of the city. 

VIRGINIA'S QUOTA TO THE DRILL. 

Virginia, as a State, has contributed the 
largest number of troops to the drill, and they 
are an exceptionally fine body of men. They 
seem to realize the necessity of camp discipline 
and are behaving in a very soldierly manner. 
The roster of the staff and the first regiment is 
as follows : 

Brigadier general, C. J. Anderson; acting 
assistant adjutant general, H. C. Jones ; as- 
sistant inspector general, J. H. Dinman ; ord- 
nance officer, N. V. Randolph ; commissary of 
subsistence, W. M. Evans ; chaplain, H. M. 
Jackson ; acting aides-de-camp, G. Bryan, W. 
F, Pleasants ; quartermaster, W. M. Cary. 



Field Staff.— Colonel, M. L. Spottswood; 
lieutenant colonel, T. Ellett ; major, J. V. Bid- 
good; surgeon, G. B. Johnston; adjutant, J. 
H. Derbyshire ; quartermaster, A. L. Bargamin ; 
commissary of subsistence, C. Boisseux ; or- 
derly officer, P. T. Courad ; assistant surgeon, 
C. H. Chalkly ; chaplain, M. D. Hoge ; sergeant- 
major, S. P. Davis ; orderly sergeant, E. B. 
Thaw; hospital steward, W. E. Pearce ; band 
leader, C. J. Carrington; band, M. G. Hughes, 
P. Schloss, W. C. Atkins, A. J. Bowers, R. I. 
Cottrell, J. Conway, T. H. Davis, H. F. Demp- 
sey, P. Eckert, J. H. Green, C. H. Hall, B. S. 
Holt, P. J. Hyae, W. D. Johnson, G. Kraker, 
A. Leroy, G. D. Levy, J. W. McKabe, J. A. 
McDonald, A. S. Maix, W. D. Marrow. 



THE STUART HORSE GUARDS, OF RICH- 
MOND, VA. 
Captain, F. H. Dean. 
This organization only came to camp for the 
purpose of participating in the review by the 
President. They were not assigned to any 
command on the camp-ground, and returned 
to Richmond on the 26th instant. Roster of 
the company is not attainable. 



FITZ LEE TROOP, OF LYNCHBURG, VA. 
(Co. C, 1st Battalion Va. Cav.) 
Captain, J. B. Page ; first lieutenant, B. W. 
Bocock ; second lieutenant, Thos. Smith, jr.; 
first sergeant, W. A. Page ; second sergeant, 
H. A. Fisher ; third sergeant, J. J. Beavers ; 
fourth sergeant, J. P. Ackerly ; fifth sergeant, 
Chas. Vest ; color sergeant, Alfred Hauser ; 
quartermaster sergeant, Henry Baker ; trum- 
peter, Claude Adair ; drummer, W. A. Page ; 
first corporal, B. O. Mays ; second corporal, J. 
L. Trevey ; third corporal, L. Cresey. Privates, 
Callaghan, Clements, Ingram, Jennings, Krause, 
Kidd, T. P. Moore, W. A. Moore, Morris, T. 
Page, Raine, Ramrez, Seay, C. W. Sholes, J, 
C. Sholes, Shauer, Wintermyer. 



COMPANY A, FIRST VIRGINIA (RICH- 
MOND GRAYS.) 

(See previous pages). 



COMPANY B, FIRST VIRGINIA WALKER 
LIGHT GUARDS. 

(See previous pages). 



Company C. — Captain, C. Hall ; first lieuten- 
ant, J. H. Chenery; second lieutenant, R. H. 



352 



Mosby ; first sergeants, J. R. Norment, W. T. 
Hancock, J. W. Arrington, J. R. Williams, J. 
B. Patton ; quartermaster sergeant, Sherrard 
Coleman ; corporals, C. L. Mosby, J. Vaughan, 
K. Burgdorf, E. V. "Williams ; privates, Ander- 
son, Carter, Dowden, Ficklen, Fitzhugb, Fal- 
lon. Green, Hancock, Hill, Hopkins, Jackson, 
Jeffries, Kuj'k, Kemplin, Lyon, Marye, Mat- 
thews, Meade, Perry, Price, Priddy, Powers, 
Reynolds, Smith, Selden, Thaw, Taylor, Tabb, 
Tensley, Walker, Worthington, Wren, R. H. 
Wrenn, W. M. Wrenn. 

Company D. — Captain, Randolph Peyton ; 
first lieutenant, Cabell Davis ; second lieuten- 
ant, J. T. Simmons; first sergeant, B. R. 
Lockett ; second sergeant, J. C. Hannon ; pri- 
vates, Brouthers, J. C. Booker, Bondurant, D. 
Booker, Boiler, Bosher, Baily, Brooks, Burton, 
Beasley, Blount, Cake, Cudlipp, Davis, Dough- 
erty, Froman, Fletcher, Fariner, R. Gentry, 
Gascoigne, Goode, W. I. Gentry, Heath, John- 
son, S. J. Jones, W. M. Jones, Latouch, Led- 
better, Murphy, Peters, Perkinson, Pearce, 
Rowe, Reeves, Redford, Simmonds, Stringer, 
Fills, Taylor, Toombs, R. I. Wilkinson, C. 
Wilkinson, Myers, Richardson, Flippin, Kin. 

Company E. — Captain, A. L. Phillips ; first 
lieutenant, B. A. Jacob ; second lieutenant, 
Cabell Davis ; sergeants, C. H. Smith, W. E. 
Smith, H. A. Amos, J. E. Rhode, M. Samuels ; 
second junior sergeant, J. R. Eddens ; cor- 
porals, A. M. Butler, C. T. Ellett, W. T. Glenn, 
T. I. Roper ; privates, Alley, Amos, Angle, John 
Clark, R. W. Clark, I. H. Collier, W. J. Col- 
lier, J. A. Crosby, D. E. Crosby, Dowdy, Fair- 
lamb, Fields, Fisher, Gibson, Gilliam, F. D. 
Gann, H. H. Gann, Haley, James, Jennings, 
Johnson, Jones, A. Linevaver, R. Liuevaver, 
Matthews, Moore, McEwan, Palmore, Petross, 
I. W. Pond, W. C. Pond, Quinn, Riley, Robin- 
sou, Skinner, J. R. Smith, M. S. Smith, Stans- 
berry, Stokes, Thomas, Voss, Wallen, and Wil- 
liams. 

Company F. — Captain, H. M. Boykin ; first 
lieutenant, T. N. Carter ; second lieutenant, E. 
P. Lyons, jr.; first sergeants, B. H. Pecor, W. 
I. Boykin, C. B. Jones, P. W. Noland, R. Nor- 
ment ; second sergeant, F. F. Finch ; corporals, 
W. M. Tomkins, F. W. Dance, C. C. Chapin, 
G. K. Scott ; privates, E. M. Anderson, W. P. 
Anderson, Atkins, Barker, E. W. Carrington, 
T. L. Carrington, Chamberlayne, Christian, 
Cosby, Cullen, Dance, Dickerson, Doswell, 
Drewry, Dunn, Easley, Harrison, G. T. Hanes, 



T. H. Hanes, Hall, Henning, E. M. Hunter, 
W. S. Hunter, Johnson, King, Lyons, jr., Mc- 
Murdo, J. C. Marx, W. B. Marx, Massey, Mc- 
Aloy, McGuire, Michaux, Nelson, Novel, Rob- 
ertson, Skelton, Stokes, Tyler, A. Warwick, 
D. J. Warwick, Williams, Wingsfield, Crouch. 

THE 4th REGIMENT VA. VOLS. 
Will be represented by but one company, B, 
which for this camp will be attached to the 1st 
regiment. Following is the roster : Captain, 
H. Hodges ; first lieutenant, H. S. Herman ; 
second lieutenant, J. M. Marshall ; sergeants, 
W. M. Hicks, W. V. Eustis, M. Tarrill, C. W. 
Dinn, and J. A. Williams ; quartermaster ser- 
geant, W. N. Grubb; corporals, A. Moses, 
G. H. Lyons, J. G. Brawnley, and J. J. Cherry ; 
privates, Anderson, Allen, Barrow, Bohn, 
Blackburn, Dusch, jr., Elliott, Graham, 
Hodges, Hammer, J. B. Jenkins, R.C.Jenkins, 
Jones, Jarvis, Jackiman, Keeling, Kimmell, 
Liggett, Lockhart, Lock, Lasseler, Metcalf, 
Mann, Murphy, Oliver, Plummer, Powell, 
Roberts, Rowland, Rhea, Reese, Roberts, jr., 
N. W. Saunders, N. F. Saunders, Smith, Stur- 
gis, Sayer, Savage, Salomonsky, Talley, Tatem, 
Tanner, Thompson, Veith, Wright, White, 
Weaver. 



Three companies of the 

SECOND REGIMENT VA. VOLS. 
have arrived, and are now ready for camp 
routine. 

Following are their rosters : 

Co. A., 2d Va. Vols.— Col. O. B. Roller, com- 
manding ; first lieutenant, E. W. Sullivan ; 
second lieutenant, W. W. Roller ; third lieu- 
tenant, A. N. Long ; surgeon, Rives Tatum ; 
first sergeant, R. E. Sullivan ; second sergeant, 
M. J. Kelley ; third sergeant, T. A. Long ; 
fourth sergeant, R. C. Basford ; fifth sergeant, 
N. G. Miller ; quartermaster, Luther Morrison ; 
quartermaster sergeant, R. P. Phillips ; first 
corporal, R. E. Braithwaite ; second corporal, 
R. L. Allen; third corporal, G. W. Bassford; 
fourth corporal, J. A. Willis ; privates, Almond, 
Beard, Bell, Bilheimer, Bowman, Bush, Con- 
rad, Cordell, Dechert, Doid, Duncan, Effinger, 
Fallis, Franey, Fultz, Gatewood, Guyer, Harry, 
Hawse, Johnson, A. W. Kennedy, W. Kennedy, 
Lewis, A. M. Loewner, C. E. Loewner, Magalls, 
Miller, Mayers, Nellegan, Rodgers, Sheppard, 
Snyder, Sullivan, Swanson, Taliaferro, Vandy- 
grift, White, and Whitlock- 



353 



Company E. — Captain, I. C. Baker ; first 
lieutenant, L. S. Walker; second lieutenant, 
W. F. Hoshour; sergeants, T. L. Dosh, E. G. 
Anderson ; W. S. Hoshour, J. A. Dysart ; quar- 
termaster sergeant, W. M. Graybill ; corporals, 

D. H. Walton, E. L. Bargalt, L. Hoshour, W. 
Bender; musicians, B. W. Coffman and G. 
Laughlin ; privates, Allen Bender, G. Broocks, 

C. L. Broocks, Brown, Bushong, Campbell, 
Clower, Clenidenst, Davidson, Q. E. Fravel, 

E. Fravel, G. E. Fravel, Gill, Haas, Har- 
man, Harris, Hines, Kile, J. S. Houshouer, 
E. C. Houshouer, Hughes, Kingsley, Langhorn, 
Lewis, K. S. Marshall, J. L. Marshall, Masick, 
Morrison, Noaks, Eamey, Eodefer, Samuels, 
Sherman, Shocky, Smith, Smoots, Stillwell, 
Sufsinger, jr. 

Company F. — Captain, J. A. Nulton ; lieu- 
tenant, F. Blankner ; second lieutenant, E. 
E. Trenary; junior second lieutenant, S. C. 
.Wheat, jr. ; sergeants, S. Fuller, E. Goss, J. A. 
Brown, T. Spellman, J. M. Nulton; captains, 
A. Henry* L. B. Moore, G. Sigar'oose, P. H. 
Collins ; privates, H. Anderson, J. L. Anderson, 
Arnold, Broocks, Cain-Crim, Conrad, Cooley, 
Davidson, Dorsey, Farmer, Faurkner, H. Fleet, 
W. E. Fleet, Flemister, Forney, Fox, Heffle- 
bower, C. L. Henry, G. E. Henry, S. Henry, 
Walker Henry, Walter Henry, Hoover, Keiser, 
Kurl, Mackey, Marple-Metz, McCoy, McKen- 
ney, H. Myers, J. H. Myers, J. Mikirsh, S. F. 
Mikirsh, Noakes, Polhauius, Parker, Baisen- 
berger, Eobinson, Eutherford, Schneider, 
Sears, Smith, Snapp, Striker, Taylor, Trenaro, 
Willson. 

Attached to this regiment, for the camp only, 
is Battery E, of the 

1st BATTALION AETILLEEY, 
the roster of which is as follows : 

Captain, John Trusheim ; first lieutenant, sr. 
G. Jackson Scott ; first lieutenant, jr. , James 
H. Machen ; second lieutenant, Sames P. 
Thompson ; surgeon, Eobert Dunn Mcllwayne ; 
sergeants; F. C. Derrell, J. H. Ward, John J. 
Donohue, Eobert P. Hamilton, William S. 
Ennis ; quartermaster sergeant, L. E. Ennis ; 
corporals, Wm. M. Holly, Charles B. Shelly, 

D. P. Lewis, Eobert Williams, Guss A. Cross, 
John D. Jones, George Lu Smith, Charles 
Burkhart, and Lawrence M. Bannon ; musi- 
cians, George E. Weber and John J. Hudgins ; 
privates, Archer, Barnes, Baxter, Beck, Burk- 
hart, Cain, Clairy, Crump, Dolan Donahue, 



Earns, Ennis, J. E. Ennis, Harris, Hamilton, 
W. A. Hamilton, Heiser, Mailand, J. H. Nugent, 
J. E. Neugent, T. Nugent, G. W. Nunnally, 
H. A. Nannally, Pearman, Thompson, Tucker, 
Williamson, Webb, Bass, Smith, Perkinson. 

BATTERY C OF THE SAME BATTALION. 

Following is the roster : Captain, J. F. Long ; 
senior first lieutenant, D. O. Eock ; junior lieu- 
tenant, W. G. Kinney ; second lieutenant, J. 
W. Blackburn ; sergeants, S. F. Leishborough, 
G. A. Will, E. L. Wrenn, L. L. Long, and J. 
Licklighter ; first quartermaster sergeant, G. 
A. Newham ; ensign, S. W. Eobertson; orderly 
sergeant, J. V. Ervin ; corporals, E. Murray, 
F. Fitzenberger, J. P. Newman, and J. H. New- 
man ; first musician, G. S. Curry ; privates, 
Anderson, Alexandria, Baily, Burford, Blake- 
more, Carrer, Cobn, Carter, Collins, E. Doom, 
C. Doom, J. W. Doom, W. C. Doom, Donivan, 
Gregory, Griner, Grove, Hess, Kinnier, Lawton, 
Lambert, Lohn, Myers, T. Newham, A. New- 
ham, O'Keaf, O'Conner, Penco, N. Eobinson, 
McG. Eobinson, Eogers, Sheway,E. Smith, C. 
Smith, W. Smith, Stinebuck, Stafford, Swartz, 
Thompkins, Vanfurisen, White, Whitlock, and 
Eiggle. 

Four 2-inch rifle guns came in yesterday, 
and the batteries are now ready for work. 

The 3d regiment is represented by six com- 
panies — A, D, F, G, H, and K — and is com- 
manded by Col. C. C. Wurtenbaker. The ros- 
ter of the staff and the several companies is as 
follows : 

Lieutenant -colonel, W. Nalle, Culpeper ; 
major, Granville Gaines, Warrenton ; surgeon, 
Charles Slaughter, Lynchburg ; adjutant, An- 
gus McDowell Green, Culpeper ; quartermas- 
ter, Silas L. Cooper, Culpeper ; commissary 
subsistence, John Charles Culin, Charlottes- 
ville ; assistant surgeon, George T. Klipsteine, 
Alexandria ; chaplain, E. E. Acree, Lynchburg. 

Non-commissioned staff— Sergeant major, T. 
N. Eubank ; quartermaster sergeant, W. W. 
Cheef ; commissary sergeant, B. F. Blakey ; 
ordnance sergeant, C. I. W. Summers ; hospital 
steward, A. O. Laughlin ; band leader, S. T. 
Johnson. 

COMPANY A, THE DANVILLE GEAYS. 

Captain A. K. Duncan ; first lieutenant, J. B. 
Boatwright ; second lieut., H. A. Perkinson. 
Non-commissioned officers — First sergeants, J. 



354 



W. Lam, J. M. Rogsdale, H. L. Boatwright, G. 
P. Talbott, and N. P. Strause ; second sergeant, 
T. L. Robinson ; corporals, J. O. W. Gravely, 
E. H. Scofield, W. T. Hughes, and T. G. Moore ; 
privates, Ashlin, Averett, Burton, Bendheim, 
Cabell, Clutter, Carter, Chrisholm, Crawley, 
Dodson, W. S. Flynn, A. Flynn, Ferrell, Meyer, 
J. H. Green, Z. Green, Hawkins, Holcombe, 
Israel, Kaufman, Klingenden, E. Lewis, A. C. 
Lewis, Moorman, Norton, Patterson, Robertson, 
Reynolds, Rhein, E. Rice, Startin, Strause, 
Sydnor, Smith, Seigel, M. Turbeville, H. W. 
Turbeville, Williams, "Whitestone, Withers, and 
Wood. 



CO. D, THE MONTICELLO GUARDS. 

Captain, T. S. Keller ; first lieutenant, M. J. 
Roberts ; second lieutenant, A. H. Purin ; pri- 
vates, Allen, Austrian, J. M. Ambroselli, J. M. 
Ambroselli, Anderson, Barksdale, Covington, 
Carver, Christmas, Clifton, Conway, Claiborne, 
Dillard, Davis, Dull, Dunham, Ekins, Fowler, 
Goodwan, Garthright, Gordon, C. H. Hudson, 
P. Hudson, E. H. Humphries, W. Humphries, 
Harmon, Keller, Leitch, Lanes, Marshall, Moor- 
man, Murphy, Matthews, McMurdo, May, J. L. 
Page, H. M. Page, Perley, Purvis, Paoli, Pey- 
ton, Spooner, J. B. Smith, J. A. D. Smith, 
Stephens, Thomas, Vandergrift, C. W. Wing- 
field, W. P. Wingfield, Whitlock, Witt, Willis, 
Warwick, F. S. Waddell, J. M. Waddell. and 
Jeffries. 



CO. F, ALEXANDRIA LIGHT INFANTRY. 

(See previous pages). 



CO. G, THE FREDERICKSBURG GUARDS. 

Captain. T. McCracken ; First Lieutenant, J. 
M. Griffin ; Secoud Lieutenant, G. A. Walker ; 
Sergeants, C. W. Jones, D. Gouldman, G. E. 
Cole, R. L. Thomas, E. A. Solan, J. McDon- 
nell ; Corporals, G. A. Walker, W. O. Hazard, 
McCracken, Revere ; Privates, Baccigaluppo, 
Barnes, Beck, Ball, Cook, F. W. Hudson, J. B. 
Hudson, Harrison, Hunter, G. B. Jones, B. G. 
Jones, Jefferson, King, Leacock, Levi, Lange, 
Littrell, Long, Litch, Lightner, McCracken, 
McDonnell, Patterson, Peyton, E. L. Porch, E. 
F. Portch, Robinson, S. Stevens, E. W. Ste- 
vens, Stoffregan, A. Stone, J. W. Stone, R. L. 
Stone, Timberlake, Towles, Turner, White, 
Williams, Wetherbee, Wright. 



COMPANY H, THE DANVILLE BLUES. 

Captain J. A. Henderson, jr.; First Lieut., 
J. W. Dailey ; Second Lieut. , L. B. Graveley ; 
Sergeants, J. E. Moore, J. Bustard, J. P. Hart, 
J. Shields Harvey, C. Shelton ; Quartermaster 
Sergeant, G. A. Jennings ; Corporals, L. B 
Graveley, C. G. Herndon, H. A. Austin, J. W 
Price ; Privates, Abbott, Adams, Alverson 
Carter, Chandler, A. Chatelaine, P. L. Chate 
laine, Crawley, Copeland, Featherstone, Forbes 
Fuller, Gibson, Gravitt, Harvey, Heath, Jor 
dan, Minnish, Miller, Norburn, Raines, B. P 
Taylor, T. D. Taylor, Thornton, Turner, Wat- 
kins, Wilson, Hoyt, Penn, Price. 

CO. K, THE PITTSYLVANIA GUARD. 

Captain, L. H. Pigg ; First Lieutenant, C. 
Belhart ; Second Lieutenant, T. F. Parrish ; 
Sergeants, C. E. Holt, W. B. Stone, R. L. 
Shelton, J. H. Bolanz, G. T. Coleman ; 
Quartermaster Sergeant, G. S. Spence ; Corpo- 
rals, L. S. Spence, W. L. Wurison, R. Tred- 
way, W. R. Whitehead ; Privates, Canada, E. 
M. Carter, J. T. Carter, W. L. Carter, Colben, 
Coleman, G. T. Cook, R. L. Cook, Crews, Da- 
vis, De Witt, H. De Mott, J. G. De Mott, Dore, 
Dyer, Fackler, Faris, Giles, Haile, N. A. Hall, 
G. W. Hall, Hunt, Johnson, C. H. Jones, L. T. 
Jones, C. Martin, J. J. Martin, R. W. Martin, 
jr., Miller, Munford, Montague, Moses, L. B. 
Motley, Parish, Pender, Shepherd, Shelton, C. 
M. Tredway, R. H. Tredway, C. Viscellis, H. 
Viscellis, Watson, Whitehead, Wiley. 



THE ATTUCKS GUARD 
And Company D, the Richmond State Guard, 
are in camp. Their respective rosters follow : 
Company A. — Captain, E. Scott ; first lieuten- 
ant, H. A. Cobb ; second lieutenant, J. H. 
Grimes ; sergeants, J. R. Rush, R. H. Wilker- 
son, W. S. Selden, R. Briggs, J. B. Page ; quar- 
termaster sergeant, S. Jones ; corporal, R. 
Jackson, A. D. Price, G. B. Hewlett, E. G. 
Brown ; privates, Anderson, Baker, Bates, 
Bundy, Burton, Cauthorne, Clarke, Cowau, 
Finney, E. H. Harris, 0. H. Harris, Hobson, 
Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, King, Mason, 
Madison, Mathews, Mayo, Mitchell. John Mit- 
chell, Morris, Norrell, C. H. Payne, J. H. 
Payne, Quarles, Robinson, Smith, J. C. Smith, 
C. Smith, J. H. Smith, Sledd, Spencer, Taylor, 
Wayne, Walker, Mathew, Wordson, Young. 



355 



Company D.— R. A. Paul, captain; H. C. 
Gilliam, first lieutenant ; R. A. Harrison, sec- 
ond lieutenant ; D. B. Stevens, first sergeant : 
E. W. Johnson, second sergeant ; C. R. Howell, 
third sergeant ; J. Storrs, fourth sergeant ; E. 
Thomas, fifth sergeant ; S. B. Randolph, quar- 
termaster sergeant ; A. Johnson, first corporal ; 
R. Williams, second corporal ; A. James, third 
corporal; E. S. Taylor, fourth corporal; pri- 
vates, P. Anderson, J. Anderson, Bolden, 
Brown, Booker, 0. H. Brown, Cash, Coleman, 
Chamberlayne, Christian, Davenport, Edwards, 
Foster, G. W. Gilliam, Holland, Harris, Haw- 
kins, J. H. Harris, N. Johnson, W. L. Johnson ; 
Jones, Jefferson, J. Johnson, H. L. Paul, Pratt, 
Smith, Scott, Trent, Travis, Voten, West, Wil- 
liams, Wilkinson. 

SARSFIELD GUARDS. 
Company C, 2d Regiment C. N. G. 
of New Haven, Conn., arrived at 2.10 p. m. 
yesterday. They were met at the depot by 
the Irish-American Club, under Captain John 
Healy, and the Vicksburg Southrons, and 
under this escort marched to camp. The ros- 
ter of this fine company is as follows : Captain, 
John Garrit ; first lieutenant, T. J. Callahan ; 
second lieutenant, F. M. Creed ; first sergeant, 
Bart Daily ; second sergeant, J. J. Kenuedy ; 
third sergeant, M. J. Coffey ; fourth sergeant, 
J. F. Plunkett; privates, Donohoe, O'Brian, 
Carney, H. McKeon, James McKeon, Deaney, 
Birmingham, Brady, . Coffee, Hayes, Bradley, 
John F. Henry, Jas. F. Henry, Burton, McGov- 
ern, John B. Whalen, John J. Whalen, Gal- 
lagher, McNamara, Foley, McKenna, Murry, 
Burns, Finnegan, McKinnan, Judge, John B. 
Judge, Kelne, John J. O'Brian, Thomas Judge, 
Lannahan, Howard, Lynn, Rourke. 

Company C, of the First Battalion 
NATIONAL GUARD OF NEW JERSEY, 
arrived at the same time. Their roster is 
as follows : Captain, W. F. Decker ; first 
lieutenant, W. Van Emburgh ; second lieu- 
tenant, James Parker; sergeants, M. Mc- 
Irlane and M. Attridge ; corporals, John E. 
Booth, John Canning, Gustave Currie, Jr., and 
John Sandford ; privates, Barlow, Bimson, Clay- 
pool, Dietrich, Doremus, Downie, Draper, Far- 
ley, Irwin, Lord, Mercier, Moore, Morgan, Mc- 
Veigh, Morrison, Pikaart, Pounds, Probert, 
Van Kirk, Van Walraven, Vonau and Wilds. 



MARYLAND. 

THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE SENDS ITS 
CADETS TO THE DRILL. 

The Maryland Agricultural College is repre- 
sented by Company A of the Cadet Corps. 
The instruction in military tactics and science 
has been a part of the course at the Maryland 
College for several years, and the Cadet Corps 
has always been a credit to the school. 
The corps will compete for the cadet prize. 
Their uniform is identical with that worn by 
the cadets at the United States Military Acad- 
emy at West Point. The roster is as follows : 
Captain, J. B. Weems ; first lieutenant, M. 
C. Hazen ; second lieutenant, T. J. Conrey ; 
first sergeant, L. B. Johnson ; second sergeant, 
C. Woolford; corporals, Sigler, Veittle, Grif- 
fith, Combs; privates, Brooks, Henning, A. 
Kellogg, Dorsey, Hoge, C. Kellogg, Duval, 
Humphreys, Legge, Manning, Mitchel, Niles, 
Pratt, Russell, Smith, Soles, Somervell, Stan- 
hope, Taylor, Tolson, Towers, Wilson, Witmer. 



THE MICHIGAN CADETS. 

A CADET DRILL COMPANY THAT WILL REPRESENT 
TWELVE STATES. 

The Cadet Company from Orchard Lake, the 
Michigan Military Academy, which holds high 
rank as an institution for military instruction. 
The corps has been drilled by Capt. F. S. Strong, 
U. S. A., the commandant. The drill company 
that is now on its way to Washington was or- 
ganized* December 1, 1886, from the privates 
and non-commissioned officers of the corps of 
Cadets. Since that time they have been pre- 
paring themselves to take part in the coming 
drill. The company will consist of 35 men, as 
follows: Capt., E. B. Winans, jr.; 1st lieut., 
R. W. Van Zile ; 2d lieut., E. B. Sanborn ; 3d 
lieut. andqr. mr., J. R. Leighty; 1st sergt., 
G. F. Mulliken; 2d sergt., H. M. Joss; corps., 
G. H. Ludolph, C. R. Henderson, C. L. Quim- 
by, H. Lefevre, F. Pelouze, and H. B. Dewey ; 
privates, D. R. Anthony, W. R. Boardman, J. 
R. Boyden, C. D. DeGraff, P. Engelman, F. H. 
Flick, J. A. Hamilton, G. C. Harvey, G. W. 
Kalmbach, C. M. Lamb, J. H. May, R. J. Rams- 
dell, A. E. P. Rockwell, J. Rodgers, W. A. Sen- 
ter,F. P. Storrs, J. B. Tappen, W. C. Tousey, 
O. C. Van Zandt, T. E. Waterworth, and J. C. 
Wever ; drummers, G. A. Mansfield and C. T. 
Rock. 



356 



The uniform of the company is identical 
with that worn by the cadets of the United 
States Military Academy. The men will be 
equipped with the Springfield cadet rifle, cali- 
bre 45. This company, having been organized 
but six months, has, of course, never taken 
part in any other prize drill. The company is 
entered to compete for the prize offered for 



companies from military schools and colleges. 
It has been formed to represent the Michigan 
Military Academy, which was organized by 
Col. J. Sumner Rogers and others in 1877. The 
corps of Cadets at preseitt comprises 106 men, 
from nineteen States and Territories. The 
drill company has been selected so as to give a 
representation to twelve States. 



THE AWARDS OF THE JUDGES. 

Washington, D. C, May 30, 1887. vn.— zouaves. 
Hon. Samuel E. Wheatley, 

Chairman National Drill Committee, *. Chicago Zouaves ; prize, $1,000. 

Washington D. C. 2. Memphis Merchants' Zouaves ; prize, $750. 

Sir : The board of judges have the honor to report that 

the following, in their opinion, is the order of merit of vm. — cadet corps. 
competitors in the several kinds of drills and classes 

enumerated below : *• Michigan Military Academy Cadets ; prize, $1,000. 

I.— regimental. 2, Maryland Agricultural College Cadets ; prize, $750. 

t-,- . -a ■ ....... _ „ , , ' „, , . 3. Bethel Academy Cadets. 

First Regiment Virginia K. G (sole competitor) ; prize, 4 Peekskm Acad |my Cadets, 

a magnificent stand of colors (United States flag, regi- 5 c Lak( . Cad / t 

mental flag and guidons), with gold, silvi.- and bronze 6 St. John's Academy Cadets, 
medals to the officers. 

II.— BATTALIONS. IX.— INDIVIDUAL DRILL. 

I. Washington Light Infantry; prize, $3,000 x p rivate H G stack San Antonio Rifles prize 

2* 'SSSTS^ J J ¥ 1 ? n, x 0t Keatllci y; >"». &* 500 - gold medal and $100. V ' 

6. ±itth Khode island. 2 First gergt Charles F. Conrad, Company B, Wash- 

iii. — company. ington Light Infantry ; prize, silver medal and $75. 

1. Lomax Rifles, Company B, First Alabama ; prize, 3 - First Ser § t - J - H - Wagner, Company A, Louisville 

$5 ooo. Legion ; prize, brouze medal and $50. 

' 2. Company D First Minnesota ; prize, $2,500. Si , b the board of jud . 

3. Belknap Rifles, Company B, Third Texas ; prize. b 

$1,500. . Col. H. M. Black, Twenty- Third Infantry ; Capt. E. C. 

' 4. National Rifles, Washington, D- C.; prize. $1,000 Woodruff, Twelfth Infantry ; Capt. J. T. Haskell, Twenty- 

5. San Antonio Rifles, Texas ; prize, $500. Third Infantry ; Capt. J. M. Lancaster, Third Artillery ; 

6. Indianapolis Light Infantry. Flrst Lieut. Constantino Chase, Third Artillery ; First 

7. Toledo Cadets. Lieut. Fred. A. Smith, Twelfth Artillery ; First Lieut. 
8.' Washington Light Infantry, Company B. B - H - Bando.pn, Third Artillery; First Lieut. R. K. 
9. Volunteer Southrons. • Evans, adjutant, Twelfth Infantry ; First Lieut. W. O. 

10.' Company A, Fifth Rhode Island. Clark, Twelfth Infantry. 

II. Muscatine Rifles. 

12. Alexandria Light Infantry. 

13. Sheridan Guards, New Hampshire. THE NUMBER OF POINTS EARNED BY THE VA- 

14. Walker Light Guards, Company B, First Virginia. RIOUS COMPETING COMPANIES WERE AS FOL- 

15. Custer Guards, Second Michigan. LOWS: 

16. Fort Wayne Rifles, Second Indiana. 

17. Wooster City Guards, Eighth Ohio. ■ Lomax Rifles 753 

18. Jackson Rifles, First Michigan. Company D, First Minnesota 736.6 

19. Louisiana Rifles. Belknap Rifles 734.1 

20. Richmond Grays, First Virginia. National Rifles 716.6 

21. Nealey Rifles, First Maine. San Antonio Rifles 696.5 

22. Company C, First Battalion, New Jersey. Indianapolis Light Infantry 673.1 

23. Company A, First Minnesota. Toledo Cadets 672.6 

24. Molineux Rifles, Company D, Thirty-Second N. Y. Washington Light Infantry 661 

25. Company A, Washington Cadet Corps. Volunteer Southrons 646 

26. Eighth Separate Company, Rochester, New York. Company A, Fifth Rhode Island 618 

27. Governor's Guard, North Carolina. Muscatine Rifles 613.3 

28. State Guard, Virginia. Alexandria Light Infantry 612.5 

29. Company A, First Virginia. Sheridan Guards, New Hampshire 608.3 

30. Company C, Second Connecticut. Walker Light Guards, Company B, First Virginia. ...581.3 

Custer Guards, Michigan 576.6 

IV -— cavalry. Fort Wayne Rifles 570.1 

No competitors. Wooster City Guards 547 

v. — light artillery. Jackson Rifles, Michigan 539.5 

1. Battery B, First Regiment Indiana Artillery (or In- Louisiana Rifles 523.3 

dianapolis Light Artillery) ; prize, $1,500. Company A, Richmond Grays 503.3 

2. First Light Battery of Wisconsin (or Milwaukee Nealy Rifles, Maine 4JJ 

Light Battery) • prize $1 000 Company C, lust Battalion, New Jersey 482 

' lattery E, First Battalion of Virginia Artillery (or R. Company A, First Minnesota 470.3 

B. Dee's Battery, of Petersburg, Va.), drew for place, Molineux Rifles, New York 464.6 

and accepted programme, but did not appear for drill. Company A, Washington Cadet Corps 435.6 

Eighth Separate Company, Rochester 405 

vi.— machine guns. Governors Guard, North Carolina 367.3 

1. Battery A, Ohio (or Cincinnati Battery), prize, silver State Guard of Virginia 249.6 

trophy and $750. Company A, First Virginia 244 

2. Battery A, Louisville Legion; prize, $510. Company (', Second Connecticut 176.6 

The winners of the rifle contest are : 1st prize, Lieut. Pollard, Washington Light Infantry. 2d prize, Capt. Chis- 
liolm, 2d Maryland Infantry. 3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th, Private Grossman, 2d Iowa ; Private Morning, L. I. Blues, Va.; 
Private Cash, Co. C, Washington Light Infantry ; Private Hoburt, 1st Michigan. 

In addition to the list of prizes announced to be awarded by the board of judges the executive committee bestowed 
Upon the First Light Battery of Wisconsin a gold medal for proficiency in saber drill, and a silver medal \f. the Louis- 
ville Legion Drum Corps for proficiency in music and movement. j*_»l» "Vljji'l j *> 

.DEC -11324 ^rp^y^_ 



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